Chibi Vampire: New blood
by Talune Silius
Summary: It's been over fifteen years since Karin had her memories erased. Now Karin's only daughter, Kanon finds out she is the new fountain of life. But young Kanon may be more than just a half-vampire.  She may just be the savior for all vampires.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Kanon, wake up," a thirty-five year old Karin said, shaking her daughter awake.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Karon asked, sitting up in her bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"You're going to be late for school again."  
"OH NO!!"

The fourteen year old girl quickly jumped to her feet and looked at the clock. 7:45! She had overslept again. After pushing her mom out of the room she quickly got changed into her school uniform. She wouldn't have time to get her dark purple hair looking nice, so she quickly put it into a ponytail and grabbed her bag.

_That dream I had last night,_ she thought to herself as she grabbed the lunch her mother had made and ran out the front door. _It just seemed so real. Why always the same one. What's wrong with me._

"Kanon has had so many problems lately," Karin said shaking her head before sitting down at the table to eat her morning breakfast. It was then when she noticed a bat hanging in the tree just outside of the apartment. "Oh hello again."

That bat always seemed to follow Karin around. At first she thought it was a bad omen, but as the years passed she started to feel comfortable with the animal around. For some reason she got the feeling that somewhere in the world, someone was closely watching her. But that was just a silly thought, right? Little did she know that all of her feelings were right. Ever since the day her mind was wiped by her family, her sister had been watching over the Usui family, making sure the happiness stayed. The truth was that nobody regretted wiping Karin's mind as much as her younger sister, Anju. She missed Karin so much that she had completely lost all connection to sanity.

Over the years the younger sister watched with pride and envy as Karin and Kenta's family slowly developed. Unlike the rest of the Maaka family, she wished she could be like Karin. She wished she could walk under the sun. Years ago she had fully awoken as a vampire and was clearly the most gifted of the family. But she missed the days when she was able to eat the foods that Karin made for her every day. Her family could tell she was starting to lose it as well. She spent so much time spying on Karin, Kenta, and Kanon, that her bats remained around the Usui family twenty-four hours a day.

"Karin is happy now Anju," Henry Maaka had once told her. "Why do you strain yourself so hard? Kenta will not betray our trust now. Let her grow."

"I can't papa," Anju had replied. "I like watching over big sister. Seeing her happy makes me happy."

The Maaka family had almost completely broken apart since Karin had left. Carera and Henry were always arguing. Anju had completely secluded herself from the rest of the family. Ren couldn't stay anywhere near that house after wiping Karin's mind clean. He felt so guilty that he decided to move away with his wife Bridget and his son, who would be turning fifteen soon. Nobody had seen from him since. Elda had become angry with the family's decision and decided to go back to sleep. All in all, Karin had brought life to that house, but nobody realized until she was long gone.

"Big sister," Anju's voice said from within her coffin, "we will be together again someday."

Even though she said that, she doubted her own words. Little did she know, Kanon would make that sentence come true.


	2. Embarrassment 1

Embarrassment 1: An unpleasant surprise

Young Kanon made it to her classroom with just seconds to spare, however was still quite winded. Her teacher just shook his head. Embarrassed, she quickly took her seat at the back of the class and put her head in her hands.

_Why am I still so tired,_ she thought to herself. _After sleeping in you'd think that I'd be wide awake. And why is it always the same dream._

"Hey Kanon," she heard a girl say. She looked up to see her best friend, Nariko, just inches away from her face. "I thought you weren't going to make it to school again. You really need to go to sleep earlier so that you're not late to class all the time."

"Sorry Nariko," Kanon replied. "It's just that I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Oh, like a boy?"

"Nariko!"

Nariko laughed and turned around in her seat. "Just joking. Just joking."

Kanon had a hard time staying awake in class that day. She tried everything from staring out the window at a bat that was hanging on a tree outside to actually paying attention in class. Nothing worked, and before long she was out.

The dream that she had was the same as it had been for the past couple of nights. Kanon was standing in a dark area with only one beam of light shining down upon her. In front of her was a boy looking no older than fifteen, passed out on the ground.

"You know you want to bite him, Kanon," a voice called from the darkness.

"Why would I ever want to bite him?" Kanon asked, bewildered.

"It is your instinct, Kanon. Just like your mother, you are a Pushuke."

"I'm a what?" There was no answer this time. "Hello."

Suddenly, Kanon's heart started to pound. It felt like she had just run an entire marathon. She dropped to her knees clutching her chest in pain.

_My heart,_ she thought to herself. _It hurts so much. What's happening to me? Is this a dream or not? Why do I suddenly feel so warm?_

Many other questions were flying to her head. Her vision seemed to narrow and her breathing became more rapid. Not only that, but her heart continued to beat more and more rapid, causing so much pain in her body. The next thing she knew she woke up screaming, completely scaring the rest of the class.

"Kanon, what's wrong?" Nariko asked, completely frightened.

"I'm so sorry," Kanon said, tears forming in her eyes.

She quickly grabbed her things and ran out of the class room before her teacher could say anything. She ran straight to the girls' restroom. After making sure no one was there, she started crying. Her heart was still aching and it didn't take long though to realize that her nose was bleeding.

Miles away at the Maaka mansion, Anju was nervous. Her bat had just seen Kanon run out of the classroom. It was still too early for her to leave the mansion, but she was curious as to why her cousin would be so scared. She focused all of her bats attention on Kanon.

Kanon didn't leave the bathroom until her heartrate had fully subsided. She had no clue why she kept having this dream. But this was the first time she had ever had a nosebleed. The thought came to mind of bringing it up to her mother, but that was just too embarrassing. There was no way her mother would understand what was going on.

"Just like your mother," the voice had said to her in the dream, "you are a Pushuke."

Her teacher decided to send her home for the day. After all, she was a good student who made decent grades. Kanon thanked her again and again, before running out of the school. She couldn't help but notice that the bat from the tree was flying above her.

_Why is our family always being followed by bats?_

When she got home she decided to take a cold shower. For some reason, her body felt steamy hot. However, she screamed again when she looked in the mirror. Poking out of her gums was none other than two small fangs. She cautiously reached up and touched them only to freak out when she realized they were razor sharp. Not only that, her normally bright blue eyes now had a red tint to them.

"What the hell is happening to me?!" Kanon screamed, tears forming in her eyes again. "This has got to be some sort of dream!"

Instead of taking a shower she quickly went back to her room and locked herself inside. At this point she needed some time to think things out. The bat outside her room saw everything from Kanon constantly touching her new fangs to her completely crying. That meant that Anju saw it as well, and she knew exactly what was happening to Karin's daughter. Her vampire powers were awakening.

"Big sister," Anju said quietly, "I'm so sorry."

Anju couldn't go straight to her parents with the news of Kanon. They would only freak out. The only person she could turn to was none other than Kanon's father, Kenta Usui, the only man who still knew the truth of Karin's family.


	3. Embarrassment 2

Embarrassment 2: First time

Kenta Usui had been working for a delivery company for years and was making a decent living. The best part was that now that he was out of high school and didn't need to have two jobs, he could spend more time with his wife and daughter. Today happened to be a decent day. Only three deliveries and he was done for the day.

"Nice work out there, Usui," his boss said at the end of the day, shaking his hand. "Like I said, you keep this up and that manager position is yours."

"Thank you, Sir," Kenta said, smiling.

Kenta walked off down the hallway to the locker room. But he almost jumped out of his skin when he opened the door and realized who was standing in the center of the locker room.

"Hello, big brother," Anju said, smiling. "We need to talk."

"Anju, what are you doing here?" Kenta asked, eyes wide open. Suddenly, a thought came to mind and his eyes narrowed. "Is Karin in trouble?"

Anju sighed. "You might want to sit down, big brother."

Kenta slowly shut the door behind him and took a seat in front of it, completely blocking it off from anyone entering. He knew this was serious. The last time he had seen any of the Maaka family was over fifteen years ago. He knew that they had been watching over his family by all the bats that were always near them. There was a deal that the Maaka's would no longer go anywhere near them unless it was a dire emergency. Being that said, it must have been something very serious for Anju to come out during the day and speak to him.

"Where is that one doll you always carried with you?" Kenta asked, trying to break the tension.

"Boogy left me years ago," Anju replied in her monotone voice. "I released all of the spirits long ago."

"You know, Karin still has that teddy bear that you gave her all those years ago. It's the only thing you left her with."

"I understand that you are still upset with the actions that our family took on big sister. We all regret what we did, but we can't change the past." A small tear appeared in Anju's eye. "Besides, I've been watching over her. She's happier this way."

Kenta got a bit steamed. "That's a sick thing to do to your sister, Anju. You can see her twenty-four hours a day and she doesn't even know who you are anymore. Do you call that fair?"

More tears formed in the girls eyes, but she wiped them away quickly. It was then when Kenta noticed that Anju looked no older than the day he last saw her. He knew that as a vampire, she didn't age nearly as fast as a human did. But talking to Anju like this was almost like talking to a child. And just like a child, Anju still missed her big sister.

"Please don't get mad at me, big brother," Anju said softly. "I did not come here to fight with you."

"Then why are you here?"

"Your daughter, Kanon Usui, is about to awaken."

"What do you……………"

Then it hit him. He knew exactly what Anju was trying to tell him. His daughter was a half-vampire after all. But he was so sure that this was going to be avoided. Karin was no longer a vampire. A few years after she stopped creating blood, her fangs retreated back into normal teeth. It was obvious that she was aging just slightly slower than normal humans but not enough to be noticeable. Why did his daughter have to become a vampire.

"Are you sure of this?" Kenta asked, trying to avoid the truth.

"Your daughter has started growing fangs and is showing all the signs that big sister showed when her vampire powers awoke."

"No no no no no," he replied, putting his head in his hands. "What do we do?"

"It won't be long before she has fully awoken. I couldn't go to anyone else. Karin has no knowledge of any of us vampires, and mama and papa would go crazy."

_This is exactly what Sophia had said would happen,_ Kenta thought to himself. _She said she would be reborn inside of our child. But over the years, I completely forgot. How could I be so stupid?_

"She's going to be just like Karin was, won't she?" he asked her. "My daughter is going to be an un-vampire."

"Most likely."

"So what should I do? I can't just go to her and tell her she's a vampire. She'll never believe me. And I can't protect her like I did Karin."

"I don't know. I had to tell someone about her. If we don't figure out something soon, her blood is bound to start increasing. If she doesn't find someone to inject, she'll start having nosebleeds like Karin."

"We can't have that," Kenta replied, thinking back on all the comas Karin had been in due to nosebleed. "I've got to get home to her, Anju. If I don't get to her before my wife gets home she might be the first one told."

"Do all you can to keep this a secret from big sister. Only you and I can know about this until I think of a solution. In the meantime, I'll keep all of my bats watching her."

Back at the Usui residence, things were getting increasingly worse. Kanon's heart rate was slowly rising again, causing her breathing to rapidly increase. Not only that the small fangs that were in her mouth had grown in size. She hated to close her mouth because the fangs would stab her in the bottom lip. On top of all of that, her blood felt like it was boiling inside her body. She reached for the window to open it and was suddenly presented with amazing sounds and smells. She had never experienced this before but could hear everything that was going on in the city. All the amazing smells that no normal nose should be able to pick up, was able to be picked up by her nose. But there was one smell that made Kanon's mouth water. Something delicious was in the air. She forgot about everything else and climbed out the window. She let her feet do the walking. Her mind was blank.

_You have no idea who I am, do you Kanon?_ the voice inside her head asked. _It is time for you to become what you were born as._

_What is that?_ Kanon thought back.

When Kanon came to, she realized that it was dark outside and she was in the middle of a park. Sitting on a bench not two feet in front of her was a man looking about twenty-eight, wearing a black suit. The man was passed out cold and had no clue that Kanon was there. There was a smell that came off of this man. A smell unlike anything Kanon had ever experienced in her entire life. The smell made her blood boil and eyes narrow until all she could see was just the man.

_Your mother came here so many times when she was your age, Kanon,_ the voice said within her head. _Don't worry I'll watch over you._

_What do you want me to do?_ Kanon asked, completely confused, still not taking her eyes off of the body.

_Feed on him._

Kenta arrived at his home just in time to see Anju.

"What took you so long?" Anju asked. "Big brother, Kanon has gone out to feed. She's in the park."

"We've got to go now."

Kanon eyed the body, her mouth watering so hard. She didn't know why but she wanted so badly to sink her fangs into that flesh. Even though her mind was telling her that she was completely crazy, her body was acting on nothing but impulses. Something told her to feed on this man. She let her impulses take over.

Before she knew what was happening, she was sinking both of her, now very large fangs, into the man's neck. She was surprised when she tasted the sweet taste of blood. It tasted so amazing. Better than any food she had ever had before. In her mind her conscience was screaming like crazy but she wasn't listening. Not only was she feeding on his blood, but she gave him some of her blood as well. It was like a release off of her heart. It felt so much better.

Kenta and Anju showed up just in time to see Kanon let go of the body and let it fall to the ground. By the look on her face they could both see that she was in a trance. She just happened to look over to Kenta and Anju before falling limp on the ground.

"So it is true," Kenta said, wide eyed. "my daughter truly has become a vampire just like her mother."

"No," Anju said, shaking her head. "She's different."


	4. Embarrassment 3

Embarrassment 3: Half-Blood

* * *

A lot happened that night. Karin came home from work to find out that Kanon had passed out on the bathroom floor, or that was the lie Kentu told her. Karin insisted on going into her daughter's room and checking in on her but Kenta kept her out, saying that she needed her rest.

"She might have the same problem I did in school," Karin said. "Poor Kanon. Don't you remember all the times I passed out in school?"

_Of course I do,_ Kenta thought to himself. _But it's not for the same reason as you remember. It wasn't anemia, Karin. You were a vampire. Why can't I tell you that?_

"Kenta, is something on your mind?" Karin asked, realizing that he had that far off stare.

"It's nothing really, and don't worry about Kanon. She was just too tired. That's all."

He wanted so badly to tell her that her daughter had just bitten some random man in the park before passing out. Anju had erased the mind of the man before helping Kenta bring Kanon back to his house. He could still remember the exact words that Anju had said.

"I'm breaking the rules being here, big brother," she had told him. "Mama and Papa told me that I could never come near you again unless it was an emergency."

"This was an emergency, Anju," he had replied. "And I thank you for helping me tonight."

After tucking Kanon in, Anju smiled and laid her head on top of her cousin. "I never thought I'd be this close to her. She looks so much like big sister."

"Anju, if you miss your sister so much why don't you just meet her?"

"I can't do that. Besides, big sister doesn't care about me anymore."

"That's not true. She loved you more than the whole world."

"But all that is over now." Anju stood up and adjusted herself. "I've got to go."

Anju decided to feed on a fresh soul for the night before heading home. She arrived home hours later and tried to sneak in. But it was too late. Henry had already known that she had gone out. Worse than that, he had seen her with none other Kenta Usui.

"Anju!" Henry's voice boomed through the house when she opened the door. "Get in here now!!"

"Yes, Papa," Anju said softly, entering the through the living room.

"Explain to me why my bats saw you with Kenta Usui tonight!" Henry roared, fire building in his eyes.

Anju never looked her father in the face and her expression didn't change either. "So it is true, Papa, you have been spying on me."

"It's only because we care about you, dearest Anju."

"I went to the Usui residence to check up on their family."

"You broke the rules, Anju. We made a vow never to interfere with their family again. Kenta and Karin can't be bothered by us again."

"Papa, you know that I do not agree with your rules. Don't you even care about your daughter anymore?"

"Anju dear, it's not that Carera and I don't care about our little Karin anymore, it's just that we have to accept the fact that she is happy without us. Over the years, we have come to fully trust Kenta Usui. He has kept our secret for so many years that it would be stupid for him to try something now. But if you go to visit him, it will most surely bring back memories of us vampires."

"Anju," Carera, her mother, said, "what is the real reason that you went to see the Usuis on this night?"

Carera didn't miss a thing. Anju was cornered, if she didn't tell the truth now, they would most surely send out their bats to start investigating the Usuis again, which meant they would find out Kanon's secret. But If she were to tell them that Karin's daughter's vampire powers had finally awoken, they would surely intervene. In the end, she decided to tell them.

"Mama, Papa, Karin's daughter, Kanon Usui, is finally a vampire."

"What?!"

"What is more is that Kanon is a half-blood with the same problems that big sister had. But I have watched Kanon feed, she's somehow different from Karin."

"She's already feeding?!" Henry roared, looking as though he was about to pass out from stress. "And you did nothing to stop her?"

"I couldn't. Last night was her awakening period. Her hunger had reached its max last night. If I was to intervene, Kanon would have had a nosebleed just like Karin did, possibly killing her."

"God, we knew this day would come eventually," Carera muttered to herself. "But why did it take so long? Kanon is fourteen now. She should have awoken a few years ago."

"That is easy to explain," Henry said, sighing. "Kanon is a half-vampire, born from a vampire mother and a human father. Naturally it would take longer for her body to fully reach its potential."

"It gets worse though," Anju said, staring down at her feet.

"Hmm."

"I have seen big sister bite necks for most of my life. But what cousin Kanon was doing seemed so much different. I sensed a large amount of energy coming off of young Kanon's body. She has much more abilities than big sister ever had."

"Are you saying that Kanon may actually have vampiric abilities?"

"It is possible that she may even be more powerful than me and grandma. So even though she creates blood just like Karin did, she has too feed on blood as well. So when she bit that man in the park she swapped bloods with him."

"This is not good. Not good at all. We have got to get her out of there before she feeds again. She cannot be in the human world like this."

"Are you an idiot?!" Carera barked, hitting Henry across the back of the head with her slipper, almost knocking his head off. "We can't just take our granddaughter away from Karin and Kenta."

"But Carera," Henry whined, only to get hit again. "Karin has become a complete human. Even her fangs are gone. We can't have a half-vampire walking amongst her house. Especially after we wiped her memory clean."

"And we can't take away a daughter from her loving family!"

"Why can't we just return big sister's memories, and have her family live with us?" Anju asked.

"The only one that could return Karin's memories is Ren, and we haven't seen him for years," Henry said. "When a vampire erases ones memories they actually take the memories into themselves. I don't know what memories Ren took from Karin, but it was bad enough to put him into a depression and make him leave this house."

"Why can't you just track big brother down?"

"It wouldn't be that easy. We don't even know if he is even in Japan anymore. He ran away with Bridget and his son, Tohru almost fifteen years ago after having a fight with carera and me."

"We have to try something," Anju said. "If Karin finds out that her daughter is a half-vampire it would not go well. Kenta won't be able to hide her secret from big sister for long. I have to track down big brother."

* * *

Disclaimer: I will continue to write this story at a fast pace as long as get output from my fans. I have a long story that I want to write and I hope that you like it. Please R&R and expect the next two chapters to come out by today. Don't worry. They will get much longer, I promise. Unless you like the chapters this short.


	5. Embarrassment 4

Embarrassment 4: Waking up

* * *

Kanon awoke with a start early the next morning. She had spent the entire night passed out without a single dream. Waking up felt weird to her, and felt as though she had lost all of her strength the night before. She sat up in her bed and tried hard to remember what had happened the day before. That's when her eyes widened.

_I bit somebody last night,_ she thought to herself.

She cautiously reached up a single finger and felt inside her mouth. She could still feel the sharp fangs poking out of her upper gums. However they were nowhere near as large as she remembered them being last night.

_What am I?_ Kanon thought, tears forming in her red tinted eyes. _Is this what a Pushuke is? Am I a…………_

Her mind trailed off for a moment. She had to be crazy. This all had to be a dream. But even as she looked into the mirror at her red eyes she knew that this was all real.

"Vampire," she said softly.

There was a knock at her door.

"Kanon," She could hear her father say gently. "Is it alright if come in?"

She really didn't want her father, whom she loved very much, to see her like this. What if he noticed her fangs, or the fact that her eyes had changed color? It would be way too embarrassing trying to explain. But she trust Kentu just as much as she trusted Karin. Maybe they would know what's going on with her body. She quickly used her covers to wipe the tears out of her eyes before telling Kenta that he could enter.

It didn't take long for Kenta to notice the change in his daughter. He decided that the best thing to do would be to let her tell him rather than him come straight out and tell her what she was.

"Papa," Kanon said, putting on her best smile, though not showing any teeth. "Are you off work today?"

"I called in sick to work because I wanted to be with you today. Your teacher called me last night and told me that you had a minor freak out in class yesterday. He insisted that you stay home and get some rest today. So I decided to stay with you."

"Oh, Papa," Kanon said, blushing slightly. "You heard about that did you. I'm so embarrassed."

She immediately gave him a hug.

"You know," Kenta said, "your mother used to have the same kinds of problems that you are having. She missed a lot of school because of it. That's how we met each other. I promised to take care of her."

"Mama had the same problems as me?"

_She couldn't possibly have ever gone through the things she had in just one day._

"Is there any problems you've been having recently?" Kenta asked, trying so hard just to get her to come out and say it already.

Kanon thought so hard about it. She wanted to tell him so badly but she didn't know how he'd react to her being a…………a monster. In the end, she shook her head no. Kenta just sighed and pat Kanon on her head before walking toward the door of her room.

"By the way," he said, just before leaving the room, "I like the new color of your eyes. You look like Karin did when she was your age."

"Uhh…………"

_So he noticed?_ Kanon thought to herself. _Why didn't he question me about it more? Is it possible that he already knows what I am?_

_"Just like your mother, you are a Pushuke."_

Kenta went into the kitchen and sat at the table. "Keeping this secret from everyone is getting so hard. Why can't I just go up to her and tell her the truth about what she is? I know she's never going to come out and say it to my face."

He then noticed the bat that was hanging outside his back door. Of course Anju would be watching him now.

"I made a promise to keep the secret," he said to himself. "That's just what I'm going to have to do."

Back at the Maaka mansion, Carera and Henry were still wide awake.

"Are we sure about giving back Karin her memories?" Carera asked, drinking a nice cool glass of liar's blood.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Henry stated. "If Kanon starts to feed, nobody will be able to protect her. We've tried so hard to hide vampires away from the rest of the world. But Kanon may get caught."

"Let's just take her in and wipe Karin's mind of ever having a daughter."

"Carera, how could you think of such a barbaric thing? Don't you even miss our daughter?"

"Of course I do," Carera hissed, smacking Henry across the head with her slipper. "Every day that I don't get to see my dear Karin is torture. But she's happy now just like we knew she would be. If we erase her memory of Kanon, we could raise her as vampire while Karin can remain happy."

"Kanon makes her happy. And what do you plan to do about Kenta? You know that we can't wipe his memory without destroying his mind completely."

"We'll never be able to find Ren anyways. He left us for good and none of us know where he is."

"Trust Anju," Henry said, smirking, "She's powerful enough to find him. And with the love that she has for Karin, no doubt she will go to any extent to find Ren and bring him back to the Maaka mansion."

"Karin held this family together so well. We just never knew it."

Kanon didn't leave her room for the entire day. She was too afraid to leave. She still had no clue what she was or what she could do about it. Karin tried to speak with her daughter after she got home from work but Kanon still refused to talk. She thought about just opening up to her mother but when she saw her mother's pearly whites without a single fang and her bright blue eyes, she immediately closed her mouth.

_What was I thinking,_ Kanon thought, tears streaming from her eyes. _Of course mama wouldn't have fangs like me. She would not know what to do about this._

After a while, Kanon decided to sneak out her window and go for a walk. The fresh air would do her well. But somehow her feet led her right to the park, to the exact spot where she had bitten the man a night before. Her heart rate started rising just thinking about it. Night was slowly approaching and she needed to head home soon, but that feeling in her heart forced her to stay.

"What is this," Kanon asked herself, clutching her chest. "Why is my heart racing like this? Everything feels so warm inside me."

She slowly started to walk out of the park, only to spot a couple in heated argument. Common courteousy would be not to listen in on their conversation. The guy and girl seemed to be arguing about something important. But it was that smell that caught Kanon's attention. A sweet, mouthwatering aroma caused Kanon's blood to boil.

"Not again," Kanon said through heavy breathing.


	6. Embarrassment 5

Embarrassment 5: Kanon and Kenta

* * *

"I can't do this again!" Kanon screamed, running away from the couple.

Her heart was racing and she could feel the blood boil within her, but she refused to ever bite another person again.

_I'm just a normal human,_ she thought to herself through the tears streaming down her cheeks. _If I just wait this out, everything will go back to normal. It just has to._

She quickly ran all the way back to the Usui residence and snuck back in through her window. The stroll had just brought up more pain. Kanon shut the window and got under her covers until the pain left. It seemed like forever. The entire time she was sobbing. Outside the door Kenta could hear her cries. He blamed himself.

"She reminds me so much of Karin," he muttered. "Anju, please, I can't do this by myself."

"Who's Anju?" he heard Karin's voice say.

He spun around to see her right behind him. "Oh it's nobody. Haha. Just a friend a work."

_Nice save,_ Kenta thought to himself.

"Is she going to be alright in there?" Karin asked, nodding towards the door.

Kenta sighed. "I don't really know anymore."

Morning came all too soon for Kanon. She had spent majority of the night sobbing in her room, while waiting for her body to settle down. Karin made the suggestion for Kanon to stay home from school today but she refused.

"If I stay in this room any longer, I'll go crazy," she said. "Don't worry, Momma, I'll be fine."

Karin gave her daughter a hug. "Please be careful."

"Don't worry." She finally got the strength up to ask her mother the question that had been bothering her for a while. "Momma, what is a Pushuke?"

Suddenly, Karin's eyes narrowed. Something went through her head like a long lost memory. It was a quick flash of her inside a stone room, blocking a wooden door while sobbing. But then, just like that, the memory was gone and Karin smiled.

"I don't know, sweetie," she said cheerfully. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Kanon replied quickly.

She grabbed the lunch that her mother had made for her and ran out the door towards her school. If Karin truly didn't know what a Pushuke was, then maybe Kanon was just going crazy. Maybe all of this was just a coincidence. There was a female's voice trying to speak to her in her head but she completely ignored it. She was determined to go back to normal one way or another. Fate however had another plan for young Kanon.

"Kanon, I'm so glad to see you back at school today," her best friend, Nariko, cheered, nearly tackling Kanon to the ground while hugging her.

"Nariko, get off of me," Kanon said laughing.

"What happened to you, Kanon? Last time I saw you, you scared the entire class by screaming at the top of your lungs."

"It's a long story. You'd never believe me."

"Well anyways, the strangest thing happened yesterday. A man came into our classroom looking for you. He said that he was with the detective agency and you were wanted for questioning. So what did you do, Kanon?"

"I didn't do anything."

Then a sickening feeling crossed her stomach. _What if it's that guy that I bit two nights ago? Maybe he went to the police and they're looking for me._

Nariko laughed. "Well whoever he was, he left in quite a hurry. He didn't even ask where you lived."

"That's strange."

"Hey Kanon, are you wearing contacts?" Nariko asked. "Weren't your eyes blue?"

"Oh, no I'm not. My eyes have looked like this."

Nariko looked her over, unsure if to believe her. "Are you sure. It looks kind of creepy, but I guess I just never noticed."

"If you think my stare is scary you should see my Papa's eyes."

The two of them started laughing as they entered the classroom. Kanon's wit had saved her from the staring eyes of her best friend. Little did she know that her eyes had become dark red, like that of blood. She managed to forget all about her problems for awhile by concentrating on school. But when lunch time rolled around things only got worse for her. It started to happen while she was sitting at the table eating with Nariko. All they were doing were chatting about how good Kanon's lunches always were when she got the whiff of something beautiful. She knew that smell all too well already and even though her blood level was rising, she tried to ignore it. It wasn't long before Nariko noticed something was wrong with her friend.

"Kanon, what's wrong?" she asked sympathetically. "You don't look so hot."

Kanon just clenched her fists together tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. The odor just wouldn't leave her.

"That smell," she said softly. "Can't you smell it?"

"What smell?"

It was no use; Kanon had to find out where it was coming from. She opened up one of her eyes and gazed around the cafeteria. It was amazing how quickly she could pinpoint the location of that odor. Over in one of the corners of the room, a student was sitting all alone, eating his lunch with nobody around him. Kanon knew this kid. His name was Akihiko, and it was commonly know that he was the class nerd. But why was there such an odor coming off of him. It was an odor that spiked all of Kanon's senses. She could already feel the fangs in her mouth grow.

"I've got to go," Kanon said, covering her mouth and rushing out of the cafeteria.

She quickly made it outside of the school and sat down against the wall, trying to steady her own breathing. There was no way she could keep running away from this. From the way that her fangs were stabbing her in the bottom lip, she could tell that her normal life was officially over. That thought caused tears to come to her eyes. She was all alone out in this world, and nobody would ever be able to tell her what she was.

Things weren't getting any better when she realized that her nose was gushing blood. It was way too much for this to be safe. At the same time, she could feel her fangs retreating and her heart rate slowing down.

_Is this what is going to happen to me?_ Kanon thought, staring at the blood that was all over her. _I know what my body wants me to do. But is this what is going to happen to me if I refuse the temptation._

The blood loss was too much for her to handle and she passed out. Not too far away at the Maaka mansion, Anju had watched witnessed the entire thing from within her coffin. She sighed heavily.

"Big sister," was the only thing she could say.

She quickly sent out her bats to pick up the unconscious Kanon before anyone was to find her. She had the bats take Kanon into the park where it would be secluded. She then sent out the other bats to get hold of Kenta. He may not have known what the bat was saying, but immediately he knew what was going on. Kanon was in trouble. He quickly and quietly left work to find her. When Kanon came to, the first thing she saw was her father's soft gentle smile.

"I had hoped that you wouldn't have been burdened with the same problems that Karin had," Kenta said, hugging his daughter tightly even though there was a great deal of blood on her clothing.

"I'm sorry, Papa. I should have told you before," Kanon said, crying for a second time that day. "I truly am a freak of nature."

"Don't say that, Kanon. You are nowhere near a freak."

"But what am I? Why all of this blood? Why me?"

"It's because of who your mother is. Kanon, you are a half-vampire. Your mother is was a vampire who married a human."

On any other day, if anyone in the world would have come up to her and said that she was a vampire, she would have laughed in their face. But her father had said that without skipping a beat and he would never lie to her.

"Mama, is a vampire too?"

"She was at one time. I don't know if that's true anymore. For the longest time she looked just like you do, fangs and all. But it has been so long that her fangs are gone and her eyes have lost the color. I don't even know if she is a vampire anymore."

"But I thought vampires were those scary demons that could only come out at night. If I'm a……a………well you know, shouldn't I be burning up right now?"

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I'm just not the person to ask. I don't know much about vampires except for who they are."

"Who could I ask? Should I ask Mama?"

"No," Kenta said, getting a bit more strict with his voice. "Of all people, you can't go to Karin with this. She has no memory of any vampires."

"Why not? You said she was one."

"It's a long story. We have to get you out of this park and get you home."

He picked up his daughter and walked out of the park, holding her in his arms. She hardly could complain and fell asleep on her father shoulders. The loss of blood had been too much for her body to handle. For some strange reason, Kenta carrying his daughter like this reminded him so much of Karin.

_Sophia, _he thought to himself, _you told me that you were free. You said that you were no longer needed. So why do you have to torture my daughter like this? Why couldn't it be somebody else?_

Like he expect, nobody answered. He hadn't talk to Sophia since Karin had been an un-vampire. Sophia had made a home inside the soul of his daughter now. But what he didn't know was that Sophia still heard his thoughts. It was about time that they had another chat.


	7. Embarrassment 6

Embarrassment 6: A bite on the neck

* * *

It had been a while since Kenta had been bitten by Karin. Long enough that the scars were gone without a trace of them ever being there. When the wound healed, the spirit of Sophia left his body. She was now inside the body of Kanon just as she promised she would be. Everything that Kanon heard, Sophia heard as well. If she was going to be able to talk to Kenta though, she needed to get her soul back into him.

Kenta hadn't made it far when he felt the sharp pain in his neck. He immediately stopped, his beady black eyes going wide with horror. Kanon had just sunk her teeth deeply into Kenta's neck.

"Kan…non," he grunted.

It had been over fifteen years since he had felt this. It still felt like it was only yesterday. But Kanon was actually drinking his blood while she gave away hers. The fact that she could already be ready to bite another person was amazing alone. Kenta didn't know whether he should stop her or just let her get it out of her system. In the end he just held her tightly, letting the blood flow into him. It was painful at first but there was a warming sensation that came with it. In Kenta's mind the world of pressure seemed to lift off of his shoulders. Just before Kanon finished the job, she injected her venom into him. He tried to fight it, but couldn't remain standing when the venom hit his nerves. He felt his entire body go numb as he dropped his daughter and fell to the ground.

"You always did have the blood that I liked," Kenta heard a voice say into the darkness. He slowly saw a figure of Karin appear in front of him. It was none other than Sophia. She smiled and helped Kenta to his feet. "Did you miss me?"

"Sophia, that was your doing?" Kenta asked rubbing his neck where he had been bit. "But why?"

"Sorry Kenta. It was the only way I would be able to talk to you. But don't worry, your daughter doesn't have a clue that she has just sunk her teeth into your flesh."

"I thought you said you were free. Why did you do this to my daughter? You made her a vampire just like Karin."

She laughed. "Kanon was going to be a vampire either way. She is the first blood creator to ever drink blood. Most of the Pushuke that I am reincarnated in are only blood makers. But Kanon recycles blood."

"But how long do you plan to be a part of Kanon's life?"

"Until she fulfills her destiny as a Pushuke."

"Why her? Karin is no longer a vampire. She's just a normal human being so why would her daughter be a vampire?"

"Karin still has the vampire blood in her, which means she still has the potential to either pass on her traits to her children, or even become a full fledged vampire herself. Think of her as a vampire in hibernation. However, her daughter is special. Most half vampires are sterile when they are born do to crossbreeding. However, your daughter is the first half-blood that can have children. That is her gift. She is the new fountain of life."

"What can I do to help her," Kenta asked. "I mean, if she really is a vampire, there's no hope changing that. So what will it take to get her to fulfill her destiny?"

"That can't be said yet. But don't worry about your daughter. Soon she will find out the extent of her vampiric powers. Karin had them too but never used them. If you have any hope of saving your daughter before she drains of blood completely, you need to get Karin to help."

"Uhhh………….But Karin doesn't have any memory. Her family saw to that."

"Memories can become lost, but never forgotten."

Before Kenta could say anything else he was shook awake by none other than Karin. He sat up and realized that he was in his own bed at home. It was still way too early for Anju to come out of the mansion. He had a feeling that Sophia had something to do with him getting home, but how was what he really wanted to know.

"You were talking in your sleep again, Kenta," Karin said, putting on a smile. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah, something like that," Kenta replied. He looked around. "Where's Kanon?"

"She's asleep in her room. I haven't seen her all day."

As long as Kanon was safe and sound in her room, Kenta felt like he could rest much easier. But then Karin saw the two holes in the left side of his neck and jumped. Another memory went through her head of her first time biting Kenta. Without realizing it, she reached up her hand and touched her teeth, not knowing what she expecting to find. Kenta caught her staring at him and immediately knew what was happening. She was starting to remember.

"Do you remember it?" Kenta said steadily, trying to help her.

She continued to stare his neck down with wide eyes. "How did you get those marks?"

Just then one of Anju's bats bumped into the window of their room, completely distracting both of them. The bat was fluttering around like crazy, trying to tell them something. Karin just looked at the bat, perplexed, but Kenta knew exactly what it meant. He had to follow the bat. Maybe Anju would have some news on Kanon's situation.

"Uhhh…..sorry, I got to go," he said.

He kissed Karin on the cheek, put his shoes on, and ran out the door leaving Karin even more confused.

"Thanks a lot, Anju," Kenta muttered under his breath as he chased after the bat. "She was so close to remembering."

It didn't take long before he realized where he was heading. It had been fifteen years since he was able to go anywhere near the Maaka Mansion. But sure enough, he could see it steadily getting closer with each stride. The Maakas had lifted up the barrier. Kenta's heart sank like a rock. This couldn't be good. He gulped down the fear as he reached out his hand and knocked on the door.

_Don't tell them about me,_ Sophia's voice said inside his head.

Like something out of an old horror movie, the door opened just seconds after he finished knocking. Kenta inched his way inside the mansion and the door closed behind him. Not two seconds later, he was tackled to the ground. He could hardly see who it was because it was dark inside the house and his eyes hadn't adjusted yet. But the older voice of Carera could not be mistaken.

"How are you, dear son in law?" She said, squeezing the life out of him with a hug. "It's been so long. How is my daughter?"

"She's……fine…….please let me go," Kenta said, gasping for air.

"Mama," Anju said from the staircase, "let Usui go before you kill him."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, letting him go.

Kenta adjusted himself and caught his breath. "Why did you bring me here?"

Both Anju and Carera tried to avoid eye contact with Kenta. They knew something that he didn't and it obviously wasn't good. Kenta became worried that something was seriously wrong.

"I think it would be better if you came in the family room," Henry Maaka said from one of the doorways. "We have a lot to talk about tonight."

Anju and Carera followed quietly behind Kenta as he entered the living room and took a seat. He could hardly see anything for about five minutes. While waiting for his eyes to adjust, he tried to get comfortable being back inside the vampire's home. He never thought that he would be here after so many years. But with the way things were going, Kenta had a feeling that things would soon be returning to the way they once were.


	8. Embarrassment 7

Embarrassment 7: Unexpected Meeting

* * *

Sorry about the wait. Here is the next three chapters for the saga. If you think that the story is almost over you are sadly mistaken. I have a lot of plans for this story. I will post chapter ten asap to end the first episode of the Chibi Vampire: New Blood saga. I plan to have fifty eight chapters just like the Karin manga. Hope you enjoy it. Please R&R soon.

* * *

"Well Kenta, this is just a surprise talking to you again," Henry said, sitting in his chair. "I trust you have been taking care of our dear Karin over these past years?"

"I had no other choice," Kenta muttered, still showing his anger for them wiping his wife's memory.

"Honestly, how long do you plan to hold a grudge against us for our daughter?" Carera asked.

"As long as it takes for you to understand that what you did was wrong."

"Why are you so upset that she can't remember us? Haven't you noticed that she has been happy living with you? We already told you that she couldn't be happy living with us. She is basically a human now. She belongs in the world of humans."

"She could have lived in the world of humans without you intervening," Kenta said angrily, slamming his fists down on the table. "You don't seem to understand how much Karin cared for you all. You took that away from her for no reason."

"Big Brother," Anju replied, "what would you say if I told you I was working on getting Big Sister's memory back?"

"Uhh………You can do that?"

"The process has never been done before, but when Big Brother erased Karin's memories, he took them into his own body."

Kenta immediately finished her, his heart skipping a beat. "So that means he could give her back her memories."

"Correct………….however." She paused for a moment. "Brother Ren left this home and our family years ago and I can't seem to track his exact location down."

"He's been gone that long?"

Kenta could still vaguely remember the way Ren Maaka had acted. He was always a stuck up vampire who despised all humans, especially Kenta. He never spent a long time with the rest of the Maaka family. But if the Maaka's ever needed his assistance, he would return in a heartbeat. What could have possibly happened to him to make him leave the Maaka family for good?

"Ren is a smart vampire and is purposely trying to stay away from us," Carera explained. "We know that he is still in Japan just a few cities away from here, but he is using his bats to prevent us from getting anywhere near him or his family."

"His……….family?"

"Oh yes," Henry commented with a smile onto his face. "He has a wife and a son who would be about the same age as Kanon."

"Why would Ren purposely try hiding from you?"

Carera just looked over at Henry for support. It was then when Kenta realized that he was diving into family matters that he should stay out of. He immediately wished that he hadn't said anything. When neither said anything, Anju came out and told the truth.

"Something happened to Big Brother on the night that he erased Karin's memory. On that night he realized what he had just done to Big Sister, but it was too late. Ren could see every memory that he had taken from Karin. It was enough to put him in a depression. He started acting differently. It was as if he drank a poison and was suffering the effects. Karin's memories should not have been touched and Ren paid the price. In the end, he ran away from us to keep the memories from tearing his mind apart."

"The fact is, as much as we want Karin to be happy," Carera said, "we can't keep her in the dark about her daughter forever. If Ren refuses to come out of hiding, we may have no other choice but to take Kanon away from her permanently."

Kenta couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up angrily. "Don't even think about it! I would never let you do that."

"It's not something that we want to do," Henry said. "But if it will keep my granddaughter out of harm's way, we may have no other choice."

"I was able to protect Karin's secret for this long," Kenta replied, the anger continuing to build up inside him. "What makes you think that I wouldn't be able to protect my daughter?"

"The fact is we aren't afraid of your ability to hide Kanon's secret from the humans. But how do you plan to protect her from herself?"

"What do you mean?"

Henry shuttered slightly. "After I found out that my granddaughter both created and drank blood I did a little research on the history of Pushukes. Mainly one by the name of Sophia. She was the first of the un-vampires and a powerful one as well. When she lost blood due to countless nosebleeds she would be able to regenerate the lost blood almost immediately. This prevented her from ever passing out. Karin was the second Pushuke in the line of vampires. However, she could not regenerate blood quite as fast as Sophia could and having a nosebleed was dangerous, causing her to go into countless comas."

Kenta knew what he was trying to get at. "The power of the Pushuke got weaker?"

"Significantly. But your daughter's case is even more dangerous. We believe that she is completely incapable to regenerate any lost blood. That is the reason she has to feed on blood like a normal vampire. She recycles the blood that drinks into blood that she may use. This makes feeding a necessity for survival. If she were to have a nosebleed as bad as the ones Karin used to have, it could easily kill her unless she finds more blood to intake."

_That's why Kanon needed to feed on my blood when she passed out in the park,_ Kenta just realized. He slowly reached up and touched the pin sized holes on the side of his neck. That's when anju saw it.

"Big Brother, when did you get bitten?" she asked coming over and touching the wounds herself.

"Kanon bit me while I was carrying her back home. It was in the park and nobody saw us. I didn't know what to do so I just let her do it."

"But your body hasn't reacted to the bite?"

"What are you trying to get at, Anju?" Carera asked.

"Normally when a vampire feeds upon a human, we take out the emotion that we were most attracted to. However your body doesn't seem to react to her effects. You have built up immunity from all the times Big Sister has bitten you."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Kenta said.

"It is. If Kanon is attracted to the type of blood that you have, then she could continually bite you over and over again without any control because no matter how much blood she drank, you would still have the emotions that made her blood boil. She would eventually drain you of more blood than you could handle, potentially killing you."

"We don't want to take our granddaughter away from your family, Kenta," Carera said. "With Karin's memory returned, you could come here for a while and let us vampires take care of Kanon. At least until she gets her bearing and can look out for herself. But you must be prepared for the worst. We can get rid of Karin's memory of ever having a daughter. But you can't have your memory erased for some reason. You will have to live with the knowledge of your daughter's existence."

From that point on, the meeting was over. Kenta said his goodbyes to the Maaka family and walked home feeling worse than he did before. All the Maaka family could do was watch him go.

"Do you think we were too hard on him?" Henry asked Carera.

"We gave him the courtesy of knowing our intentions. There is nothing more that we can do. Ren won't allow us to ever get near him and Kenta knows this as well."

Anju was just silent, but in her mind she knew that it was time for Ren to come out of hiding.


	9. Embarrassment 8

Embarrassment 8: Karin's memories

* * *

When Kenta made it back home, he went straight to bed without so much as saying hello to Karin. Karin didn't know why but she got a funny feeling in her heart when seeing Kenta down. It made her heart pump faster and her breathing increase but she couldn't explain why. Kenta happened to look over at her, recognizing a familiar face. Karin may have lost the ability to create blood a long time ago, but her body will forever react to unhappiness. Right now, Kenta had a whole lot of unhappiness built up. He thought that he would feel better after a nights rest, but Sophia had different plans for him and appeared to him in his dreams.

"Did you punish Ren for attacking Karin's memories?" Kenta asked immediately.

"All I did was make sure that Ren saw all the happy memories Karin had with her family," Sophia replied, smirking. "He did this to himself."

"Is it true that you are getting weaker?"

"In a way. What the Maakas have told you is true. If your daughter is to have a nosebleed, it could kill her. She will not have the choice like Karin had. If she wants to survive she will have to feed every once and a while." Sophia was smiling until she saw the look on Kenta's face. A look of remorse and regret. "Do you want to know why I was imprisoned inside your daughter's body? It is because your daughter possessed the ability to bring life back to the dying vampire race. Her fate was chosen the day that she was born. I don't want to do this, but I have no choice. I will protect your daughter as much as I can. That is a promise that I can personally keep. So cheer up, please."

Kenta wished it could be that easy. He wished that he could just shrug this off and wait for it to pass. But the thought that Kanon could die due to her blood problem wasn't an easy thing to look away from. Nobody loved Kanon more than Kenta did and he would die in her place if given the chance. The thought of losing her was something he couldn't bear.

Kanon's strength finally returned enough so that she woke up in the middle of the night. She sat up in her bed and clutched her stomach. She hadn't had much to eat and was hungry. She decided to go into the kitchen and grab a small bite but stopped at her door when she heard sobbing from the other side. She knew immediately that the crying belonged to Karin and listened in. Karin was talking to herself.

"Why do I always feel sad when night comes around?" Karin said to herself. "I don't want to sleep anymore because when I do, I keep having a dream about that girl. I hate the night so much."

Karin looked out the window for the bat that was always hanging in the tree. It wasn't there. Of course it wouldn't be there. The bat was never there at night. This only made Karin feel even worse. But she had no clue why. Deep within her heart she felt like there was somebody that she was supposed to care about. During the day, when she looked out at the bats that followed her family, she was reminded of that person that she was supposed to care about.

But trying to remember who that person was only hurt Karin more. It was like somebody didn't want her to remember who it was. But who would ever want that. If there was somebody that important to Karin, she should be allowed to know who it is. Shouldn't she?

"I keep dreaming of this dark place," Karin continued to herself. "Even though it's dark, I feel happy here. Almost as if this place was my home at one time. I'm sitting in a room with five other people. I can't see who they are but I feel happier with them. But if I try to get a better look them my dream ends and I end up being alone again."

Kanon felt sorry for her mother. Life had always been rough on her. She never knew who her family was and didn't seem to have anyone but Kenta to comfort her. She always told stories about when she passed out at school due to anemia. But even though she always had a smile on her face, Kanon knew better. Karin was a troubled girl.

_Papa said that Mama is…or once was a vampire, just like I am,_ Kanon thought to herself. _But he said that she has no memory of vampires. Did somebody take away her memories? It sounds crazy but so did the idea of vampires. Could it be that Mama's family are also vampires and she just doesn't know who they are anymore?_

Kanon decided to go out and comfort her mother. Karin looked over and was surprised to see who it was. She quickly wiped away the tears and put on a fake smile for her daughter.

"Kanon, it's late," Karin said. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I spent all day sleeping, Mama. I wanted to see how you were feeling. Are you okay? I heard you crying from my room."

"Oh….you heard that. I'm so embarrassed. It was nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing that you should be worried about." She quickly changed the subject. "What about you, Kanon? Are you going to be alright? I mean……after passing out on the bathroom floor, then sleeping almost all day today. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I don't want you to be an anemic like your clumsy mother."

_Papa really was keeping a secret from Mama,_ Kanon thought to herself. _Why would he go to such extents? Does he have something to do with Mama's memories? Maybe he doesn't want Mama to know what she was. If that's the case, then how does he feel about me?_

"Mama, can I ask you a question?" she asked Karin. "Do you remember anything of your family?"

"Of course I don't. I never got to be with my parents."

"Then where did you grow up?"

Karin thought hard about it but kept drawing up blanks. "I really can't remember. I don't think I really ever had a home before I met your father. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Kanon answered quickly.

"Kanon, I know we don't usually get to spend much time together but tomorrow is the weekend and I'm off. How would you like to go for a nice walk with me through the park? We could just talk and hang out. Just us girls."

"uhh.."

Kanon was starting to like the park less and less because it made her blood boil. But this would be a good chance to spend time with her mother. She couldn't refuse. Karin seemed so happy by that. After that, Karin decided to go to bed. Kanon had a feeling that her agreeing to go for a stroll through the park help put Karin's mind at ease for the night. But this night brought up so many questions for Kanon. That was when she saw a girl walk past her back door. A girl wearing gothic clothing with long hair. Kanon looked around to see if Karin had gone to bed, then decided to see who the girl was.

She ran out the back door and realized just how well she could see, even though it was night. She assumed that it was a perk to her being a vampire. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone. The backyard was empty. But she knew that she hadn't imagined the girl. She refused to go back into the house until she found out who it was.

"I know you are out there," Kanon said, looking around. "I've seen you before, so I know you are real. Please come out and talk to me."

There was no answer. Kanon didn't care.

"Are you the one that Mama is crying about? If you are, I just wanted you to know that she hasn't fully forgotten who you are and she still cares about you very much. I don't know what may have happened between you and her but all of this is hurting her. So please………." Kanon started to cry. "I just want Mama to know who she is so that it doesn't hurt her anymore. I just thought you should know that."

Kanon looked around the yard one last time before walking back inside her house and going to bed. Little did she know that Anju was sitting on top of the roof and had heard everything Kanon had said. Anju was a girl of very little emotion, but for the first time in a while, she was crying. She imagined Karin walking up to her and comforting her just like when she was younger. But Karin wasn't there and would never be there again. It was all Anju's fault.

"Big Sister," Anju cried. "Big Sister, I'm sorry. I need you, Big Sister."


	10. Embarrassment 9

Embarrassment 9: Big Brother

* * *

Of all of the people in the Maaka family, nobody was going through nearly as much torture as the older brother, Ren Maaka. Even though he was far away from the rest of the family his brain was still being tortured. Tortured with all of the guilt from taking away Karin's memories. His nights were filled with the unexpected joy of his dear wife Bridget Maaka and his fifteen year old son Tohru Maaka. But when the sun rose, and he was forced to go back into his coffin for another day, his dreams would start to torture him again, reminding him of what he had done to his sister.

It was always the same dream, every single day for the past fifteen years. He had to relive those last moments as he walked into Karin's room for the first and last time. He had tricked her into believing that he was there to talk just so that she wouldn't question his motives. He listened to her beg him to stop as he erased every last memory of him and the rest of the family. He was only doing what he was told. He thought he was doing Karin a favor by erasing all the pain. How was he supposed to know that he would take the memories into himself? But the moment he finished erasing Karin's memory and watched her fall silently onto the bed, he knew that what he had done was wrong.

The memories didn't start to affect him at first. He gave the Usui boy his sister and let her go without feeling any great remorse. The only thing that he regretted was that he didn't say anything nicer to his sister before he had done what he did. He had grown tired of listening to his sister's crying day and night. Many times he had wanted to go up to her room and hit her for being so annoying. He had a feeling that she didn't like him anyway. He couldn't have been more wrong.

The day after his sister left, he had the first of many memories to come. Like a vivid image he saw a time when Karin was happy with her family. It was a memory from long ago. A memory of Anju and Karin making a snowman in the backyard while laughing. Ren had been able to see the memories of all the victims he erased, but there had never been one as vivid as this. Everything felt so real. The cold snow beneath his feet. The chilling wind at his face. Even the happy feeling Karin felt with Anju was now being felt by Ren. He hated it. He didn't want to have to see this now. What was the point of seeing this?

It only went downhill when the night came and he was able to wake. Suddenly everything inside the Maaka house brought up Karin's different memories. It was more than Ren could handle. With so many happy memories stored in Karin's head, how could she have been so sad all the time? Ren even started acting like Karin did, making it hard for him to feed anymore. With every female that he sunk his teeth into, he felt sorrow for the person. It made the blood tasteless and sickening to the stomach. Every conversation that he had with his family brought up more memories. Ren was starting to see the world through Karin's eyes. He was living in the world that he had taken away from his sister.

"Why do I get punished for doing a good thing for her?" Ren would curse at the wall in his room. "I gave her the chance to be happy. It was the only gift that I could have ever given her. So why must I be punished with the little brat's memories?"

Even as Ren cursed Karin for giving him all this pain, he knew that he was the one to take the blame. Karin never wanted to be taken away from her family. The countless days that Karin had spent crying in her room. It wasn't because she was tied down to a family who was forced to live in the realm of night. She cried because she couldn't be with them. Karin would gladly give up living in the day if she could stay with her family. She cried because she hated who she was and wished she could have been a normal vampire like her family. She knew she was a burden on the family and didn't want to be anymore.

Ren took away Karin's love for her family. That was why Sophia punished him. Ren wanted to take away the one thing that meant more to Karin than her love for Kenta Usui. Sophia made sure that for the rest of Ren's life, he would see what he had taken away from his sister.

The last conversation Ren had with his parents was the hardest he had ever done. He couldn't explain to them what the visions were doing to his mind because he couldn't quite explain it himself. He wasn't much of an emotional person so he just told Carera and Henry that he was leaving to be with his family and never wanted to come back. Carera begged him to reconsider but he refused. He had nothing to say to Anju because the memories of her hurt him the most. He left the mansion for the last time without so much as a goodbye.

The years passed slowly and painfully for Ren. His son was born not long after he moved in with his wife and he immediately fell in love with him. Ren raised Tohru to be just like him and was proud of the day when Tohru's vampiric powers awoke. The memories ware not as bad as they were when he was around the Maaka house, but they were still there. Many days he awoke with pains in his chest like he had been running for hours. As time progressed, he despised sleeping.

"Why don't you just return the memories to your sister if it hurts you so bad?" Bridget asked him once.

"The Maaka's placed a barrier around the Usui family preventing me from ever going near Karin. They knew that I might try to give her back her memories. Stupid vampiric honor. I'm stuck with this curse for eternity."

Ren's mind had taken such a bad attack from all of Karin's memories that he put up a barrier around the entire city, preventing any vampire from coming within one mile of him or his family. Because of the barrier, Anju and the rest of the Maaka's couldn't get close enough to him. He had no idea that the barrier around Karin had dropped and that they were actually trying to restore her memories to the way they once were.

But tonight, Anju wasn't going to wait any longer. Her vampiric powers were the strongest in the family. Strong enough for her to break through the barrier of bats that Ren had placed around the city. She needed to get to him for her sister's sake. After hearing Karin cry earlier that night and listening to Kanon while hiding on the roof, nothing, not even Ren's bats were going to stop her. She would do anything for her big sister.

Ren happened to be out on the town looking for his next meal when he sensed Anju's presence. Just the knowledge of her being here sent an old memory through his head like a shotgun. It was too soon. How could she have gotten through the barrier and why was she looking for him after all these years? Ren needed a place to hide, and fast. But it was too late. Before he had any time to move, Anju was right up behind him.

"Good evening, Big Brother," she said, a slight smirk on her emotionless face.

Ren didn't even face her. Just the very scent of her clothing was killing him. All of Karin's feelings were attacking at his brain. He fell to his knees, covering his head with his hands. "I told you never to come looking for me, Anju. How could you have gotten through my barrier?"

"Bats were always my specialty, Big Brother, or have you already forgotten?"

"How could I forget?" he panted, still unable to see anything but the memories. "You were a natural. I knew that one day you would be the strongest."

"Let me help you up."

Anju walked up to Ren and placed her hand on his shoulder. It felt like fire in his heart. It was too painful to take. Anju let him go and took a step back.

"Don't you see what your stupid sister has done to me, Anju?" he asked. "I just want some peace now."

"Big Brother," Anju said, "for fifteen years you have been in torment from Big Sister's memories. But now it is time to give them back to her. Karin needs our help again, Big Brother. She needs you to help her. I need you to help me."

"Why should I help her? I want to kill her for torturing me this way."

"Because her daughter is now the next Pushuke and we have a duty as vampires to protect her."

"My……sister……..has a……….daughter."

"Come with me, Big Brother. We have a lot to talk about."


	11. Embarrassment 10

Embarrassment 10: Stroll through the Park

* * *

Morning came as quite a relief for the entire Usui family. Kenta Usui was the first to awake and felt like he had just gotten out of a bad nightmare. The sun was shining outside his window and he felt like today was going to be a much better day. It would be just the boost he needed to go into work in a happy mood.

Karin awoke for the first time since she could remember without a nightmare. Perhaps it was the thought that she would be spending the day with just her daughter. By the time Kanon woke up she could already smell her mother's delicious cooking from inside her room. She was determined to get whatever she needed off her mind while with her mother. Most importantly, she wanted to try and find out more about Karin's past life as a vampire and why she had no memory of ever being one.

Kanon and Karin had a fun morning, and Kanon couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother smile so much. Kanon was a good judge of character and could tell when a person was straining to be happy. But for the first time in a long while, she could tell that her mother was genuinely happy. This made Kanon happy as well.

After an extra delicious breakfast made by Karin, the two packed a quick lunch for later and set off for a nice stroll through the park. It wasn't like the two of them hadn't been to this park thousands of times before, but it was the best place for Kanon and Karin to be alone to talk. They talked about nearly everything except for the things that Kanon wanted to talk about. She just couldn't bring herself to ask her mother about her memories. She was getting nowhere fast and wanted so badly to ask soon. So she finally did when they stopped at a table to eat. She decided to try and tell her mother what she really was.

"Mama," Kanon said, starring down at her food, "I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you this before, but I think that you should know what's been happening to me."

"What is it Kanon?" Karin asked. Kanon just stared at her food, unable to answer. "Kanon, you know you can tell me anything."

"Papa told me what you are. He said that you can't remember anymore and I think somebody has taken away your memories. I know it sounds crazy, but after the stuff that I've been through I honestly believe Papa."

"What did Kenta say you were?" Karin asked in wonderment.

"I think………….I'm a........."

Just then, Kanon's heart started to pound. This couldn't be happening again. Not now and not in front of her mother. But sure enough, like a predator that had picked up the scent of its next meal, Kanon's senses spiked off the chart. She could immediately spot out her prey. There was a middle aged girl at the top of a staircase, yelling into her phone at her ex-boyfriend.

_I hate my body for making me want this human so bad,_ Kanon thought to herself. _I don't want to bite her but the nosebleed that I had last time hurt so much worse._

"Kanon, you okay?" Karin asked. "Your face has gone red and you look like you are burning up."

Kanon tried to hold back the urge and took a bite of her own lunch, immediately choking it back up. The food tasted like sand in her mouth. It was no use. She had to choose between sinking her teeth into that woman or passing out from a nosebleed. But then it hit her. This would be the perfect chance to show her mother exactly what she was. Before she realized what she was doing, she was already lunging at the woman, knocking her onto her back. How the hell did she manage to get to the top of the stairs so quickly? She really didn't care anymore. She was quick and sunk her aching fangs deep into the neck of the girl.

_Her blood,_ Kanon thought to herself as she drained the girl of blood while injecting her own. _Her blood is so delicious._

But what Kanon didn't expect was that her mother was in a state of shock at the bottom of the staircase. Was her daughter actually doing what she thinks she was doing? Her daughter was a………..a monster. This couldn't be her daughter, could it? Without thinking it through she ran away from the scene. Kanon just happened to finish her meal when she saw her mother run off with a terrified look on her face.

"Mama?" Kanon asked. "Oh my god. What have I done? I truly am a freak of nature. I didn't think things through. All I thought about was getting my next meal. Mama, please let me explain."

But it was no use. Karin was already down the path and away from Kanon's sight. What she had just seen her daughter do may have been the scariest thing she had ever seen anybody ever do. The only logical thing she could think of doing at a time like that would be running away. Was this what she had been trying to tell her? That her daughter was some sort of cannibal feeding on other people. She didn't quite understand and was too scared to want to know. What if it had been her that her daughter had attacked?

Back at the staircase, Kanon was crying once again. If she would have just thought things through a little bit more, she would have realized the disturbing sight that her mother had to see. She had hoped that it would spark something inside Karin's mind, but now she doubted that Karin had ever been a vampire. Perhaps Kenta had lied to her. That horrified look that her mother had given her. How could Kanon ever approach her again?

"I belong in hell for what I do to people," Kanon sobbed, running out of the park. "I just wish that I could die. This was a bad idea and now even Mama thinks that I'm a freak."

She looked up at the sky where a bat was following her overhead. She hated that bat more than ever. It was there because of her and she knew it. She would never go home again. She just couldn't face her family now…………….now that they knew what she was.

At the same time, Karin was suddenly stopped by a young girl in the densest part of the park. There was an odd mist on the ground and it was almost like night by all the trees that surrounded. But Karin didn't seem to mind that. She was wondering how this young girl had just appeared out of nowhere. She could have sworn that there was nobody around before. This girl looked strangely familiar, like something out of a dream. She was wearing a black lace dress and held a matching black umbrella in her hand. The girl looked no older than thirteen but stood tall like a proper woman. For some odd reason, Karin felt like she should know this girl.

"Big Sister," the young girl said without a smile on her face. Karin could swear she knew that voice. "Big Sister, what have you done to your daughter?"

"Uhhh." Karin was dumbfounded. "How……..how did you…………who are you?"

"Kanon needs you more than ever, Big Sister," she continued, still not changing expression, "and you left her like that."

"I'm….sorry. I was just startled. I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Do you know who I am, Big Sister?"

Karin thought hard, but it seemed like the harder she thought, the less she could remember. "I'm sorry, but no. I feel like I should know you from somewhere, but……….."

The girl seemed to be hurt by the fact that she couldn't remember who she was. "I just want you to know that I have always been watching you, Karin. Your family still loves you."

"My…….who? Who are you? What do you know about my family?"

"I think it is time that you start to remember who you are."

Before Karin could say anything else, Ren dropped out a tree behind her and placed his hand upon her hand. He had never given a person back their memories, but he kind of had an idea of what to do. It was time for Ren to finally get rid of the memories that had been haunting him for the past fifteen years.

Just like that, the hand that was on Karin's head started to glow with a faint yellow light. Karin didn't know what was going on at first until the memories started flooding back into her brain and spreading like wildfire. Every last memory of the vampire world spread in her mind. It was like someone was writing a book in the empty gaps. Ren let go of his sister and looked at her sister. She had her eyes closed at first as her brain tried to process all the information. After about a minute, she finally said one word.

"Anju."

* * *

This is the end of the first episode of the six part series of Chibi Vampire: New Blood. I bet you are thinking, how could he end a chapter like that? The answer is simple. Because it keeps you interested. There is still a lot that has to happen to the story and I would like to hear a little input of what you would like to see happen next in the story. I will be post the next chapters very very soon so I hope you enjoy.


	12. Embarrassment 11

Embarrassment 11: Karin Remembers

* * *

_All these memories,_ Karin thought to herself as the memories of the vampire world reassembled themselves back inside her mind. _All of these happy memories. How could I have forgotten everything? The last thing I remember was a young man coming into my room back at the mansion. His name was Ren and he was my brother. He placed his hand on my head just like he just did now. Why did brother Ren do this to me? Was I truly becoming a burden on my family?_

Just then, the image of the young girl came back into her mind. Of all of the Maaka family, this one girl had been the most important thing in Karin's life. It was her sister, Anju. From the day that she was born, Karin had been in love with her little sister. She took care of her sister and put little Anju's safety before her own. But for the past fifteen years, Karin had completely forgotten about the person that she loved more than the whole world. This brought a small tear to Karin's eye.

"Anju," Karin said slowly, before opening up her eyes.

Hearing that name seemed to spark something inside her sister. From the moment that Karin said her name, she couldn't hold back the tears and ran into her sister's arms, crying. Karin was happy as well. Fifteen years had passed and Anju had barely aged a year. She still looked exactly like Karin remembered. She held her sister tightly, as if afraid of losing her again. Anju never thought that she would be this close to her sister again. She was close enough to smell that familiar aroma. She never wanted her sister to let go of her.

"I'm so sorry, Anju," Karin cried. "I promise that I will never leave you again."

"Big Sister," was all that Anju could muster.

Karin happened to look up to see her older brother, Ren, leaning up against a tree, watching them with minor disgust. All of this huggy kissy stuff was too much for him anyway. She immediately ran over to him and hugged him but he pushed her off.

"Don't think that just because I haven't seen you for over fifteen years, that I'm going to break down and start crying," Ren said.

Karin looked down at the ground. "Sorry."

But then Ren did something very unexpected. He actually gave his sister a hug. She was so surprised at first but then almost broke into tears again.

"But that doesn't mean I don't care about you," Ren said softly. "I missed you."

"Oh Ren, I missed you too." She let go of him and looked over to Anju. "But I do have one question. Why did you erase my memories of my family? Did you truly hate me that much that you didn't want to see me again?"

"Don't say that, Big Sister," Anju demanded. "You're family loved you more than anything else in the world. If you want to know the truth, talk to Mama and Papa. But right now, you have a problem."

"Kanon," She replied immediately. How could she have forgotten about running away from her daughter? "Kanon is a………….a……"

"Half-vampire," Ren answered. "Nice work little sister. She's the reason that we returned your memories. But if you don't hurry and save her, all of Anju's hard work will have gone to waste."

"Big Sister," Anju said, "Kanon is going to try and kill herself unless you save her. I can't go after her because it is too sunny beyond these trees. You must go. I will have my bats help you."

Suddenly the air was filled with the sounds of wings. Karin looked up and saw literally hundreds of bats in the sky. All of them flew towards the ground in front of Karin. She knew what she must do and stepped onto them. There were so many of them that they were able to support her weight. They immediately took off as soon as she sat down. Ren watched her go with a smug look on his face.

"Fifteen years, and that brat is as emotional as ever," Ren said. "Why couldn't she have been a normal vampire sister like you, Anju? As long as the memories are back where they belong, I could care less what happens."

"Big Brother," Anju asked, "does this mean you will come back home?"

"I guess so. It'll give me a reason to get away from my wife and son for a couple of days."

"I thought you said you were happy with them."

"Do I look like the family man? I was never tied down to one woman before I met Bridget. If it weren't for my son, Tohru, I would regret ever sleeping with her."

Meanwhile, young Kanon had made it out of the park and went all the way to her school without stopping. She had only one thing on her mind now and that was ending the pain once and for all. Nobody was at the school since it was a Saturday so she knew it would be secluded. She went straight in and straight up four floors to the roof. The entire time there were tears running down her face. She walk straight to the edge of the building and looked at the fifty foot drop to the concrete sidewalk below. It was far enough for what she had in mind.

_Don't do it, Kanon,_ a voice said to her in her mind. _You don't want to go through with this._

"I'm a monster and don't deserve to live," she said through tears. "Even my Mama is terrified of me. I can't keep biting people and I can't just wait it out. I now understand why Mama had her memory erased. It was because she was too embarrassed to live with what she was. I want to end the pain once and for all."

_Jumping off the roof won't solve anything,_ the voice said. _You would still be hurting the one's that you love. What about Kenta? He cared about you even though he knew what you were._

"Papa? He'll just have to live with it."

Before she could think about it anymore, she took a step back then did a running dive off the roof. She closed her eyes and awaited the impact. This was the only way to return things back to normal. At least with her out of the picture, Mama wouldn't have to worry. Nobody would have to be scared of a vampire walking around, sucking people's blood.

"Kanon!!" she heard her mother scream.

The next thing she knew, she was being caught in her mother's arms. She opened one of her eyes and realized what was happening. Her mother was sitting on………….bats and had caught her before she plummeted to her death. The bats brought Karin and Kanon to the roof and placed them on the ground. Karin just held on tight to her daughter even when the bats flew off. She was in tears.

"Kanon," she cried, "I'm so sorry for what I did."

"Mama, what's going on? How did you do that with those bats?"

"I remember everything now. I know what you are Kanon and I understand how you feel. I shouldn't have run away from you like that. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"You got your memory back? But how?"

"My family gave it back. Kanon, I know you think that you are the only one going through this and there is no way to turn. But committing suicide isn't the answer. I promise I will help you through this, just like your father helped me when I was in trouble."

"Oh Mama," Kanon said, crying once again. "I'm so sorry."

Below them, hidden within the school, Anju was listening in, and she was smiling.


	13. Embarrassment 12

Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been busy moving to okinawa to write the story. But I promise to get back on track. BTW..thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up. Next chap is short

* * *

Embarrassment 12: Karin and Kanon

* * *

Karin held on tightly to Kanon for as long as she needed to get all the tears out of her system. This is probably the closest she had ever been to her daughter. She knew exactly how Kanon was feeling. It was the same loneliness that she had experienced for most of her own life. But Kanon didn't need to feel this. Deep down Karin was feeling disgust towards her own family. If her family wouldn't have erased her memory of them none of this would have happened. She didn't even know if she wanted to see her family. She still didn't quite understand why they did what they did, but it was obviously because they didn't want her to be a burden on their family anymore.

"Mama?" Kanon finally asked after minutes of silent tears.

"What is it sweetie?" Karin asked.

"Papa told me that you are a......................a............well, the same thing as me. Is that true?"

"It's true, Kanon. You and I are not humans. The blood that runs through our veins is that of Vampires. Kenta has done a good job keeping the secret for so long."

"Why would Papa want to keep secrets like that from us?"

Karin gave a long stare off the edge of the school to the sun that sat high in the sky while trying to think out the answer in her own head. "I have a feeling that my family is partially at fault for that. He was protecting my identity because my Mama and Papa wished it. He did it because he loved me and didn't want to lose me."

The thought brought a small tear to her eye, but she quickly wiped it away and smiled. Kanon realized that she had had the wrong thoughts about her Papa. She had been wrong to think that he was being bad to hide Mama's true identity for all these years when the truth was he was just protecting his wife.

"What do you say I finally show you my family?" Karin asked. "I'm sure Anju is hiding around here somewhere listening in on us."

Fifteen years later and she still had her younger sister figured out. It was true that little Anju was just below them, in the shadows of the school, listening to everything that they were saying. When she heard her own name, her heart skipped a beat. As soon as she found out that Karin and Kanon were leaving the roof, she quickly went to the stairs to meet them. This was the first time in what seemed like forever that this emotionless girl was actually excited for something. This was her chance to be with her sister, just like old times.

"I told you she'd be nearby," Karin stated, smiling when she saw her little sister on the staircase. "Kanon, this is my little sister, Anju."

"I don't see the resemblance," Kanon muttered to herself, staring little Anju down like a scary demon. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"It's nice to finally meet you face to face," Anju said, giving her niece a curtsey. "Big sister, she looks a lot like you."

Karin blushed. "Thanks, Anju," she said smiling. "Anju, do you think Mama and Papa would mind if I come to visit them? I would really like to see their faces again."

"I think they would like that," Anju said.

With that, Anju used all of her bats to create a wall above her to block the suns rays as she, Karin, and Kanon left the school and headed toward the Maaka mansion. After so many years, it only felt like yesterday that Karin had seen the house that she lived in for half of her life. Nothing had changed. She even felt a sense of peace from all the bats flying overhead.

However, Kanon felt very nervous from the scenery. She was not used to seeing things like this and all the bats sent a chill down her back. The feeling didn't change much when the Maaka mansion finally came into sight. It was exactly what she expected a vampire to live in. With the size of the building, she wondered why she never noticed it before.

"You used to live here, Mama?" Kanon asked with uncertanty.

"Yeah," she replied, eying the mansion. "Do you hate it?"

"Are you kidding?" Kanon asked, a smile forming on her face. "I love it. It's so huge. Your family must be rich."

"We are part of the royal vampire family," Karin explained.

Anju was the first one too the door and opened it up for both Karin and Kanon. With one deep breath, the two stepped through the door into the dark house. Everything was going back to the way things were and Karin couldn't be happier.


	14. Embarrassment 13

Embarrassment 13: Family Reunion

* * *

"I actually expected to be tackled to death with hugs and kisses the moment I entered the door," Karin said, looking around the dark house while letting her eyes adjust.

"It is the middle of the day," Anju stated. "But also Mama and Papa don't know that you have your memories back yet. But if I waited any longer to return your memory it might have been late."

"Well at least we'll be able to surprise them."

"Big sister," Anju said. "If you don't mind, I would like to go to bed. I haven't slept much since all of this has started and would like a couple of hours to sleep before the sun goes down."

"That's okay, Anju," Karin said. Her little sister turned heels to head up the staircase but was surprised when Karin came up behind her and gave her a hug. "Thank you for everything."

A single tear came from Anju's eyes but she tried her best to hide it. "I just want you to be happy, Big sister."

"You do make me happy."

She let her sister go and Anju disappeared at the top of the staircase.

"Now what do we do?" Kanon asked, looking around.

"It hadn't occurred to me that my family probably wouldn't be awake at this time of day. We really can't do anything until nightfall." She looked over to Kanon. "Would you like to see my room."

"Sure."

Of all the rooms in the Maaka mansion, Karin's old bedroom felt the least vampiric. She wasn't a bit surprised that nothing in the room had been touched. It was just as she remembered it being fifteen years ago. Kanon loved the room and immediately went over to the bed under the window and flopped down onto the soft mattress. She made herself comfortable as Karin came over and laid down next to her.

"I love your room, Mama," Kanon replied, getting closer to her mother and closing her eyes. "You don't seem like the vampires I've read in storybooks."

"Don't believe everything you read in books. Us Vampires are nothing like the monsters in stories. Humans just tend to be scared of us because we drink their blood."

"Why is it I've never seen you drink blood?"

Karin knew that her daughter would have questions sooner or later and there was no better time than now to explain everything to her. The hours passed like minutes as Karin told her story to her very curious daughter. Kanon was very interested in vampires and the more she heard about them the more she liked what she was. Karin told her everything right down to the story of her being a Pushuke. The next thing she knew she and Kanon had fallen asleep on the bed.

When night came, Karin's parents found out that their daughter was under their roof once again. Karin and Kanon were given quite the shock when they awoke to Henry Marker squeezing the life out of them with hugs.

"I missed you to, Papa," Karin said breathlessly, trying to get out of the strong grip of her father. She was surprised when she realized he was crying.

"Please forgive your Papa for doing what he did to you."

"Papa........I......."

Before she could finish her sentence, Carrera came up from behind Henry and gave him a smack with her slipper, literally knocking him off Karin and Kanon and into the wall.

"You stupid idiot," she said. "now is not the time to break down."

"But Carrera......."

"Don't, 'But Carrera,' me," she said, hitting him again. She then turned and gave Kanon a hug herself. "It's nice to finally meet you, dearest Kanon."

Kanon was stunned. "It's.......um......nice to meet you to, Mrs. Maaka."

"Please, call me grandma."

For fear of being hit with a slipper herself, Kanon put on her best smile. "Okay, grandma."

Carrera practically melted after hearing that. "Karin," she said, patting Kanon on the head, "your daughter is so adorable. I simply just love her."

"Thanks, Mama," Karin replied.

"Well," Henry said, standing up and rubbing his head, "I think we should all get out of this room and go downstairs. We have so much to catch up on."

Everyone started to leave the room. Carrera practically dragged Kanon out of the room, still holding onto her like she had a new best friend. Karin was the only one who didn't leave the room. Instead she pulled out her cellphone and called Kenta. He was overjoyed to hear her voice.

"Karin..Karin...where are you?" Kenta asked.

"It's okay Kenta," she reassured him. "I'm fine, I'm at my parents house right now."

"Phew, that's good." Then there was a pause. "What? You're at where? So does that mean you remember everything?"

"Yes I do. Listen, I'm going to stay here with Kanon for the weekend. I promise I'll be home Monday morning. So don't worry about me."

"Listen, Karin, you know I had to keep that secret from you because your family made me."

"I know. We'll talk about it when I come home."

After saying their goodbyes, Karin hung up the phone and put it away in her pocket. _Everyone is trying to apologize to me,_ she thought to herself as she left the room. _But I just want to know why they did it._

By the time she made it downstairs, the entire family was already in the family room in heated discussion. Carrera still hadn't let go of Kanon and still had one arm over her shoulder. Ren and Anju were seated across from her, staring at Kanon like she was some new species of animal. Henry was seated in the chair next to the couch with a glass filled with blood. Karin noticed that Kanon kept looking at the glass as if it were full of poison.

It was apparent that Kanon felt the same about drinking blood as Karin did. If she could choose she wouldn't ever drink it again. But that wasn't going to be an option for her anymore now that she had fully awaken.

"You'll get used to it soon enough," Karin stated, coming into the room and taking a seat between her brother and sister.

"Big sister," Anju said when her sister was seated, "Mama seems to be attached to your daughter."

Ren snickered. "Who would of guessed that my bratty little sister could get one thing right."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Karin asked. "You know, I never got to see your son, Ren."

"You're still wanting to see him?" Ren questioned. "Even after what I did to you."

Karin was getting tired of everyone feeling so sorry for her. "Listen, I don't care if you wiped my memory of vampires. I just want to know why you did it without talking to me first."

The room went silent and everyone exchanged glances as if trying to figure out who would be the one to tell her. In the end, it was Henry who spoke up.

"Karin, it was my idea to wipe your memory. I just wanted you to live a happy life. Being the special type of vampire that you are, you were bound to the world of light. When we found out that you stopped producing blood, we decided that it would best for you to live with the humans."

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

"We knew that you wouldn't go as long as we were a part of your life. This was the only way. We made the wrong decision. I'm sorry about that."

Karin smiled. Her family was doing so much to make sure she had the perfect life and all she had ever done to them is bring them pain. She felt ashamed at herself for ever being mad at them. The thought brought a tear to her eye.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden on all of you," she cried.


	15. Embarrassment 14

Embarrassment 14: Secret Plans

* * *

Karin felt at ease with her family now that she understood how they really felt about her. And as far as she could tell, Kanon seemed to like her family as well, which was a big surprise. However, Karin was having very mixed feelings about Kanon herself. Kanon was split between two completely different worlds. One was in the world of humans and the other of vampires. Karin knew very well from experience that it is almost impossible for anyone to live in both worlds and be happy. But did young Kanon have a choice? If Karin could make the choice, she would have Kanon live with her and Kenta in the human world and let go of her vampire side. But Kanon was not like Karin was. Without blood, Kanon will not be able to survive. So what can Karin do?

It wasn't too long into the night before Kanon left the family room and went to Karin's old bedroom to sleep. Karin was tired herself, but she stayed up long enough to have a chat with her mother and father. Both Anju and Ren had left to feed so it was just the three of them alone.

"Your daughter is just adorable, Karin," Carrera said, taking a sip from her glass. "But what are you planning to do with her now that her vampiric side has awakened?"

"What do you mean, Mama?"

"You stupid girl. You haven't even been thinking about your HALF-VAMPIRE daughter's future?"

"Of course I have," Karin replied. "But I don't think anything should change. I can take care of Kanon just fine myself."

"And just how do you plan to do that when you are working everyday?"

"Well........I....."

"Dearest Karin," Henry said, "the fact of the matter is that your daughter is the newest Pushuke. We are afraid that other vampires might find out about her existence and come after her. Furthermore, without somebody to watch out for her, a young, inexperienced vampire like Kanon is bound to be seen by humans. She could ruin everything that us vampires have worked to hide all these years. Don't you understand, Sweetie?"

'What is your solution?" Karin asked.

Henry and Carrera exchanged glances before he continued. "We could take her into our family and raise her like a proper vampire....At least until she gets her bearing."

"Papa!" Karin yelled angrily. "And what are Kenta and I supposed to do?"

"You could go on living your lives happily together," Carrera said.

Karin just couldn't believe what she was hearing. "There is no way I'm just going to give you my daughter. I love her more than anything in the world."

"We care for our granddaughter too," Henry explained, trying to reason with his daughter. "That's why we are just looking after her well being."

"Papa!" Karin screamed, slamming her fists down onto the coffee table.

There was silence in the room as the three stared each other down. Karin just couldn't believe that her own parents were trying to take her daughter away from her. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes. But instead of crying in front of them, she ran out of the room and up the stairs to her own bedroom. After locking the door she sat against the wall, crying. She was careful not to wake Kanon, who was fast asleep under the covers in the bed. Just seeing her own daughter in such a peaceful state only hurt her more. She could see where her parents were coming from. If Kanon wanted to live a normal life, she would most likely have to live in the world of night with the vampires. But Karin wasn't ready to leave her daughter. Kanon could still walk in daylight with the rest of the humans. She may need to drink blood to stay alive but half of her was still human.

Downstairs Carrera and Henry were still sitting in silence. It was Henry who finally broke the mood.

"Do you think we were too hard on her?" he asked.

"We had to tell her eventually," Carrera said. "What else can we do? Karin doesn't seem to understand that her daughter is more of a vampire than she ever was. Karin is almost identical to any human now. So how could we expect her to protect Kanon when the time comes."

Morning seemed like it would never come for Karin. She sat up the entire night trying to think everything over in her head, and didn't fall asleep until the sun had just started to shine through her bedroom window. About an hour later Kanon woke up and saw her mom sleeping on the floor next to the bed. She took her own blankets and covered her mother. She was about to lay back down on the bed before she heard Anju's voice from the doorway.

"Young Niece," Anju said, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, I really don't think I want anything you have to offer me Anju," Kanon said nicely.

"I meant some water," Anju replied.

Kanon did have a dry throat, so she quietly exited the room and followed Anju downstairs to the kitchen.

"This house is so dark, even though it's morning," Kanon replied, trying to see her way through the house.

"Us vampires can see just fine in this house at night," Anju replied, grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets and getting water out of the faucet before handing the glass to Kanon. "Big sister never was good at seeing in the dark either."

"You really care about Mama don't you?"

Anju gave a slight smile. "Big sister means the world to me. I would do anything for Big sister."

"She's very lucky to have a sister like you. I can see why Mama really likes you. Those bats that always followed our family. They were you, weren't they?"

Anju only nodded.

"You know," Kanon continued after finishing her glass of water, "I don't know if I'm ready for all of this vampire stuff. It's all just been dumped on my shoulders and I really can't handle it. But I'd really like a friend who could teach me all of this stuff."

Anju understood exactly what she was saying and gave her a hug. "I would love to help you, little niece."

Deep down Anju knew that being there for Kanon would make her sister happier than ever. And Anju could see her bigger sister in the eyes of her daughter.

Anju left Kanon downstairs and headed off to bed after that. As she got into her coffin she felt the very unfamiliar feeling of happiness within her. She never had a friend before, besides Boogy. In her heart, she knew that she would treasure this and treat Kanon with as much love as she gave her big sister.

* * *

I'm having a little brainfart here and I'd like to know what you'd like to see happen. I have two different options that I would like to do but I personally don't know which one to choose.

A. Karin leaves Kanon with her family and Anju teaches Kanon how to be a vampire

B. Karin takes Kanon away from her family and tells the family not to intervene in her life anymore until problems start happening again

I'd really appreciate some input of what you'd like to see and i promise to update next week. Thanks


	16. Embarrassment 15

Embarrassment 15: Elda

* * *

Hope you guys enjoy it.......................... I know I'm going to get flamed for this chapter.

* * *

For many years, the oldest and most powerful of the Maaka vampires had been asleep in her coffin. Only a couple of days after Karin had gotten her memory erased, Elda Marker lost interest in the family and went back to sleep. It was mostly because Karin was her favorite grandchild and she hated the family for erasing her memory. It's not like she hadn't been asleep for this long before. Because she drank so much blood when she was awake, Old Elda was able to sleep for many many years before having to leave her coffin again. However, since she had completely abandoned the family, she had no clue that her favorite granddaughter had all her memories back or that she even had a child.

From deep within the maaka mansion basement, the lid of Elda's coffin slowly opened. Elda Maaka sat up in her coffin and looked around in the basement with a disapproving glare. Her daughter in law had tried locking her in the coffin once again in an attempt to kill her. Elda really hated her daughter in law and they had always been at each others throat. She doubted that the past fifteen years will have changed anything.

Even though it was still in the early evening, Elda could hear the sounds of footsteps above her head. She thought that it might be her granddaughter Anju up early again. She decided to go upstairs and see how Anju was. Little did she know, the girl was none other than young Kanon, exploring the house for the first time. Elda was more than surprised when she came around the corner and saw the young teenager in the study room, looking through the various books on the shelves.

_Could it be?_ Elda thought to herself. _Karin came back?_

"KARIN!" She cried leaping towards the unsuspecting Kanon and hugging her. "When did you get home, Karin? Do you remember me?"

Kanon didn't know what to say. Some random woman was squeezing the life out of her and thought that she was Karin.

"I'm not Karin," Kanon gasped.

"Ehh..." Elda said, letting her go and spinning her around.

Kanon's jaw dropped. "Momma? Is that you?"

"Wait, you just said Momma..." Then it hit her. She lunged at Kanon once again knocking her into the bookshelf. "OH HOW ADORABLE! YOU LOOK JUST LIKE ME! HOW CUTE!"

Upstairs, the entire family was awoken to Elda yelling. Ren knocked the lid off his coffin angrily and sat up, looking around.

"Who the hell is yelling this early in the evening?" he growled.

"I JUST SIMPLY LOVE YOU. WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" The voice boomed from downstairs.

"My name is Kanon."

"OH HOW CUTE!"

Ren immediately recognized the voice and started to sweat. "Oh no," Ren muttered grabbing the lid to his coffin and shutting it. "Grandma is awake."

Two rooms away, Karin got to her feet and bolted downstairs to the study. When Elda saw her she let go of Kanon and ran to her granddaughter.

"KARIN! You're home again! You remember everything."

Karin held her ground but was surprised when Elda didn't knock her to the ground, rather grabbed hold of her and started crying. "I thought I would never see you again. I guess my son finally came to his senses. So how long have you been back."

"Only a day, Grandma," Karin replied, hugging her grandma back.

"Momma," Kanon asked. "Who is this person and why does she look just like you?"

"Kanon, this is your great grandma, Elda Marker. She's been asleep for quite some time."

"Great grandma?" Kanon said in disbelief. "She looks so young!"

"Why thank you, dearest," Elda replied smiling. "You look cute too. And are you a vampire like your mother."

"Half-vampire," Karin said correcting her.

"So you're still with that Usui boy?"

"Of course, Grandma. He's made me so happy over the years."

Elda never liked the idea of humans and vampires being together, and was fully against Karin and Kenta being together. But with Kanon in the picture, Karin was hoping that Elda would finally warm up to the idea. Besides she had been wrong about the two of them. Karin was proof that humans and vampires could happily coexist with one another.

"So is she like you?" Elda asked?

"Not exactly," Anju's voice said from behind them.

"Oh hello there, Anju," Elda said, glancing over to her. "You look like your doing well."

Anju just nodded before turning to Karin. "Big sister, if you don't mind, I'd like to spend some time tonight with my niece."

Karin was surprised. "You want to spend time with my daughter? Well I guess that's fine with me."

"Thank you, Big sister."

She turned heels and left the room and Kanon quickly followed her out. Karin just watched her go with a smile on her face. Kanon seemed to be getting along with the rest of the Maakas. Actually, she seemed to be happier with them than Karin ever was and they seemed to like her too.

_Maybe leaving my daughter with Momma and Papa will be the best thing,_ Karin thought to herself. She immediately shook her head. _What are you saying, Karin? She's your only daughter. How could I ever think of letting her go?_

"Well now that she's gone," Elda said, breaking the silence, "I can spend some time with my granddaughter. Now you have to tell me everything that has happened since I've been asleep."

Karin was probably the only person who liked Elda Marker. She immediately spilled the beans of her family's intents toward her daughter. Elda was furious.

"How could they do this now!" she barked. "They only brought back your memories to take your daughter away from you?"

"What should I do grandma?" Karin asked, trying to hold back the tears of thinking about. "I love Kanon more than anything in the world but she is more of a vampire than I ever was. She belongs in the vampire world not with me."

"Karin, are you crazy? My daughter in law has no clue how to make someone happy. What do you think Kanon wants more? If you take her out of your life you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"But look at me, grandma," Karin cried. "I'm not a vampire anymore. I'm even aging normally. I can't live here anymore. My life is with Kenta."

"Karin," Elda said giving Karin one last hug, "if you really think that she is better off here with other vampires, then I will personally look after her. But think it over first."

"I have.........................."

Karin, now completely in tears, ran out of the room and out of the house without so much as looking back. She had been thinking about it ever since her parents had brought the idea up. Kanon needed to be around people who could take care of her. That would be the best that Karin could ever do for her.

Kenta Usui was sitting outside his house watching the setting sun when he saw Karin come running up, tears running down her eyes.

"Karin, what's wrong?" Kenta asked. "Where's Kanon?"

"I.....I.............I did what was best for her?" Karin cried, holding Kenta tightly. "Right? Right? She'll be happy now right? Kenta? Kenta..................Oh.......................Kanon...............I'm so sorry."

Karin didn't stop crying until the night was over and the sun had started to rise.


	17. Embarrassment 16

Embarrassment 16: Affinity

* * *

Kanon and Anju left the house side by side like two friends. Kanon was happy that her aunt had taken such a liking to her. She was a bit shocked by how young Anju looked. Anju's may have been at least thirty but she looked no older than fourteen. Kanon felt more like she was walking with her sister than with her aunt. But that just made it less awkward.

Anju on the other hand wanted to treat young Kanon with the same amount of love that she had given her big sister. She may not have been there when Karin needed her the most but she would never make the same mistakes with Kanon. Deep down, Anju still felt at fault for everything that had ever happened to Karin. She owed everything to her. After all, without Karin, Anju would have been all alone as little girl.

"Where are we going?" Kanon asked as they crossed the road and headed into the city.

"There is a carnival near the ocean that is open until late at night. I thought you and I could go there together."

"I used to go there when I was little," Kanon said smiling. "I'd love to go there again."

It wasn't long before Kanon could see the Ferris Wheel slowly coming in view like a sun rising over the horizon. It's lights lit up the rest of the carnival giving a warm feeling. This was the first time Kanon had ever been here at night. The world looked so much different at night. Kanon's young vampire senses could pick up so many beautiful scents and sights. She had never felt like this before and wondered if Karin once felt the same things she did.

The feelings of happiness seemed to stay with her the entire time she was at the carnival. They rode ride after ride and Kanon seemed to be happy with Anju. She was also really liking the night hours. But she could never keep this permanent. She couldn't wait to go back to her mother so that she could tell her about all the things she did with Anju.

Anju happened to look over to Kanon while on the Ferris Wheel and put a slight smile on her face. "Kanon, you have never seen the world through a vampire's perspective, have you."

"No I haven't. I feel all warm inside. I just simply love it. Is it always like this for you?"

"Vampires naturally have more keen senses than humans, but since you are a half-vampire it looks like your senses only spike when you are near the blood that you are attracted to."

Kanon looked confused. "The blood I'm attracted to? I thought vampires like all blood."

"It's called our affinity. Every vampire is attracted to a certain emotion. In Big sister's case, it was unhappiness. I am attracted to loneliness. These emotions draw us towards the person who has the blood type that we like. In your case, its what causes your blood to start multiplying."

_So back then in the park and that time at the school,_ Kanon thought to herself. _Those people had the blood type I like?_

"Wait!" Kanon exclaimed. "So does that mean that somebody here has the blood type I like? But I don't want to attack innocent people."

"It's not like what we are doing is bad. My big sister should have told you that when we suck human blood we take away the emotion that we were attracted to."

"So when Momma bit someone, she took away their feeling of unhappiness. So I guess it isn't that bad."

As soon as their car made it to the ground and Kanon stepped off she suddenly felt an all to familiar feeling from within her chest. Her heart started pounding harder than it had ever before and she could feel her breathing rapidly increase. It was so painful that she fell to the ground. Anju immediately caught her before she hit the ground.

"Niece, what's wrong?" Anju asked.

"My chest............it hurts so bad."

"Your blood is increasing. We need to go."

Anju grabbed on to her niece's arm and led her out of the carnival and into an abandoned lot nearby because they had started to get the humans' attention. Inside Kanon's mouth, her usually small fangs had almost doubled in length and her eyes had gone dark red. She was breathing through very deep rapid breaths and it looked like she was going through a lot of pain. Anju knew that they had gotten really close to a person who matched her niece's affinity.

She waited for almost thirty minutes before Kanon's blood decreased enough for her to start thinking rationally again. Anju was not happy about that. Kanon's blood increasing was much harsher than it had ever been for Karin. She had to feed soon before she got a nosebleed.

"Kanon," she said in her monotone voice. "We have to find out what your blood affinity is."

"What now?" Kanon asked, deffinetly not ready to feel pain like that so soon.

"If we find the person who's emotions make your blood increase you can bite them."

"No way," Kanon said waving her arms around like crazy. "I never want to bite another person again."

"You have no other choice, Little niece. If you don't feed, your blood will overflow and you may get a nosebleed."

_So I really don't have a choice anymore, do I?_ Kanon thought to herself.

"I'll watch over you, Little niece," Anju reassured her.

It actually didn't take too long before Kanon's blood was increasing again. They happened to be passing through a dark alley when Kanon's heart started pounding again. There was only a couple other people anywhere nearby and Kanon pinpointed the girl that was causing her blood to boil. Just a few meters in front of them, a middle aged woman was sitting on the curb yelling into her cellphone to some boyfriend. Kanon's keen ears could easily pick up the conversation they were having. The woman was yelling at her boyfriend for cheating on her with another girl. The woman was talking about leaving him and moving back in with her mother.

There was such a sweet aroma coming off of her and Kanon's fangs started to ache. Kanon could already taste the blood as if she had already bitten the girl. She slightly hated herself for thinking about a human like that.

"Is this the woman that is making your blood boil, little niece?" Anju asked, looking at Kanon then eying the girl. "I think I understand what your affinity is now."

Kanon wasn't listen to her aunt anymore. She had all her attention on the girl. She wanted to attack the girl. Just then, the woman hung up the phone and looked over to Kanon and Anju.

"Do you mind," the woman asked. "What are two little girls like you doing out here at a time like this."

"I'm sorry," was all Kanon could say before lunging at the woman and sinking her fangs within the soft flesh of her neck.

The blood tasted just as amazing as she expected it to be. And the feeling of releasing her own excess blood felt more than good. Anju just stood there and watched as her niece fed on the woman. But even Anju was a little more than surprised when she saw that Kanon's hand was glowing slightly. When Kanon finished the woman dropped to the curb, passed out from the venom that was running through her veins. Anju helped Kanon to her feet and saw that the young half-vampire was in a slight state of euphoria.

Before the woman could awaken, Anju and Kanon quietly left the alleyway. Kanon felt so much better. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, bitting other people. If Anju was telling the truth then that woman will wake up feeling much better. Besides, she now had an idea what her affinity was. She was attracted to the very common emotion known as anger.

"You were able to erase that woman's memories by yourself," Anju said, after about five minutes of silence. "I've never seen a half-vampire who could do it so well."

"I just thought that it would be better if the woman couldn't remember what I had just done to her. The next thing I knew, I could feel her memories being taken into myself." Kanon then looked at her aunt. "Did I do something wrong?"

Anju was actually a bit too stunned to answer. Kanon was much more powerful than she had first come to believe. Possibly more powerful than Elda. All Kanon knew was that she couldn't wait to tell her mother about the night she had with Anju. However, she was disappointed when she entered the Maaka mansion to find out that her mother had left.

"She did what!" Kanon screamed, her happiness going away immediately.

Kanon bolted out of the house, running home. How could her mother ever think of doing something like this. She had to know.


	18. Embarrassment 17

Embarrassment 17: Daughter of Both Worlds

* * *

Kanon didn't stop until she made it all the way to her house. She probably would have been more surprised by how close she lived to the Maaka mansion if she wasn't completely upset that her mother had left her in the care of the vampires without so much as a goodbye. Kanon had to understand their intentions. She liked her new family but she didn't want to live with them. She wanted to be with her parents. After all, Kenta had always told her stories when she was little about how family always came first.

Karin was still sitting outside in Kenta's arms crying when Kanon came up to them. Kenta looked up to Kanon and smiled. But Karin just cried harder. She couldn't look her own daughter in the eyes. Instead she ran inside the house slamming the door on both her husband and her daughter.

"Papa, what's going on?" Kanon asked.

Kenta tried avoiding eye contact with his daughter as well when he answered her. "Before Karin had her memory returned, I was brought to your grandma and grandpa's house. We decided what to do with you then."

"What do you mean, do with me? Don't you love me Papa?"

"It's because we love you that we gave you up to the Maakas. Kanon, you are the daughter of two different worlds. You were born in the world of humans and raised like a human. But now that your vampire side has awoken you need to live in the world of vampires."

"But Papa..............I don't want to be a vampire. I want to live with you and Mamma."

Kenta felt ashamed of himself for constantly pushing away his daughter. "You don't have a choice anymore. Don't worry, this is only temporary, Kanon. It's only for a week or two then I promise you will be able to come back home."

Kenta stood up and went inside the house, shutting it and locking it as if Kanon didn't even live at the house anymore. Kenta could hardly hold himself together. He felt no better than his father was to him. But this was the only way he would be able to protect his daughter.

_If only Kanon could understand what Karin and I are trying to do for her,_ Kenta thought to himself. _Kanon we aren't abandoning you. We are just trying to protect you._

Kenta couldn't think of anything else to do except go and tend to his wife, who was in her bedroom, face down in a pillow, crying. He tried so hard to get her to stop crying but deep down, he wanted to cry himself. But Kenta had to be the strong one in the family. It was going to be very hard.

* * *

I know this is a very short chapter but it's leading up to a very important chapter. Don't worry Karin isn't going to be away from her family forever. I actually feel like I'm going into too dark of a story here so I'm wondering if I should scrap the story or continue with it. If you have any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.


	19. Embarrassment 18

Embarrassment 18: Acceptance

* * *

Kanon lay in her new bed staring at the painfully dull ceiling while trying to finally hold back all the tears. She was trying so hard to see the light in what her parents were doing. Maybe living with vampires for a week or two wasn't so bad. But it was the way her Papa and Momma had done it that she was upset about. In her mind, she felt like she had been utterly kicked out of her own home. Almost like Karin and Kenta didn't want to see her anymore.

When Kenta had locked the door on Kanon, she had no choice but to head back to the Maaka mansion. She could hear her great grandma yelling at her grandparents in the family room when she opened the door. In the few seconds that it took for her eyes to adjust to the utter darkness she found that Anju was sitting on the stairs in front of her with a little doll in her lap. The doll was very creepy and had a butcher knife in its hand. The way Anju was holding it made her look younger than ever, almost like a doll herself, forever stuck in the child's age.

"I'm sorry, Little niece," Anju said softly when she saw Kanon.

Kanon didn't respond to her. Instead she stepped right by her and went up the stairs. Anju just watched her go.

"Don't bother trying to sympathize with her," Ren Maaka said, stepping out of the shadows and staring Anju down. "She just going to go up into the room and cry all night like Karin always did. She's just too emotional."

_"Karin always was a nuisance,"_ a voice said from within Anju's doll. _"But at least she was good for a laugh or two."_

Ren stared at the doll. "I thought you said you got rid of those spirits. What is he doing back."

"Boogy came back to me the moment Big Sister got her memory back," Anju said. "I heard his screams from my closet."

_"How would you feel waking up in a dark cramped box,"_ Boogy said. _"I guess when Karin came back Anju was able to think clearly again. My soul was suddenly trapped in this body again."_

"How sad," Ren replied sarcastically. "It must suck to think that you were free all these years only to be put back into that body."

Ren had been right about Kanon. She did end up locking herself into Karin's old room, which was now her new room, and crying for almost the entire night. Her cries could be heard through the floor to the family room below. Both Carrera and Henry felt like their own daughter was back under the roof. It was sad, but the two of them were a slight bit happy to hear the sounds of crying in the house once again. When Karin had been around, she was the only one who had brought any noise to the house.

"She will calm down soon enough," Carrera said, paying little attention to her granddaughter.

"You pig," Elda hissed.

Carrera just threw her slipper at Elda, starting another fight between the two in-laws. Henry did his best to break up the fight from a distance. He knew better than to get in the crossfire of the two of them.

When Kanon had finally stopped crying, she tried being optimistic about the situation she was in. She only had a few more hours before she would have to get up for school and she was determined to go. She wasn't ready to end her normal life to live in the world of darkness just yet. After all, she was only half-vampire so she wanted to keep the human part of her for as long as possible.

_If I just go along with this for a week I can be back with Momma and Papa, _Kanon thought to herself as she rolled over in her bed. _I guess I have no choice but to be a vampire so I'll just have to make the best of it._

In her mind, the vision of her sinking her fangs into her next victim floated across. She could already taste the sweet warm blood as it flowed down her dry throat. She immediately blushed at the thought of it, covering her face even though nobody could see her. It wasn't like she wanted to feed on people, but the more she did it, the more she got used to the idea. Besides, she liked the feeling she got when her vampiric senses awakened. To her, it was like walking in the best of dreams.

The next thing Kanon knew, her alarm was going off. She couldn't really remember falling asleep the night before, and felt just as she would have if she wouldn't have slept at all. If she wasn't so determined to continue on with her normal life, she would have stayed in bed all day and completely skipped school altogether.

However, the young teenager was surprised to find that all of her things from her home had been moved into the room while she was asleep. This was slightly odd because she clearly remembered locking the bedroom door the moment she came into the room. When checking the door she found that it was still locked, though the window was now open and the morning sun was shining into the room. Shaking her head, Kanon grabbed her book bag and went downstairs.

"Hello, Little niece," Anju said when Kanon entered the kitchen, completely startling her.

"Oh, hi Anju," Kanon replied. "Anju, did you put those things in my room."

"I thought you might like some of your own things so I visited Big sister to pick them up. I had to go through the window though." The thought of little Anju climbing in through Kanon's window made Kanon laugh. Then Anju held up a small lunchbox. "Big sister also wanted me to give you this."

_Momma is still making me lunch?_ Kanon thought to herself as she grabbed the bento and put it in her book bag. _She must really still care about me._

At least Kanon didn't have to go hungry at school today. She said goodbye to Anju, who headed up the stairs to bed, and went off to school. She was actually happy that the Maaka mansion was so much closer to her school then her house was. For the first time in a long while, she was at school early. She had even beat her best friend Nariko to school. Nariko was surprised to see this.

"Hey Kanon," Nariko said, sitting down in the seat next to her.

"Hey Nariko."

"Are you finally feeling better. Last week you missed quite a lot of school." She looked into Kanon's bloodshot eyes. "You actually don't look so hot today either."

"I'm okay," Kanon replied, yawning. "I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm quite tired."

"What could you have been doing?"

Kanon really didn't feel like telling her that she had spent all last night crying. Instead she shrugged her shoulders and and put her head down on the desk. She actually ended up falling asleep through the first part of class, but as long as she wasn't having nightmares about biting other humans, she was fine with it. Her blood didn't increase even one bit the entire day. Kanon couldn't have been happier. It hurt like hell when her blood increased. So much so that she was almost determined to bite somebody right off the bat the next time her blood increased. After all, Anju had told her that biting people wasn't a bad thing.

It wasn't until school was over and Kanon was walking out of the classroom with Nariko that anything out of the ordinary happened. Kanon's teacher stopped her just before she could leave.

"Mrs. Usui," her teacher said, "do you mind if I have a word with you."

"I guess I'll see you later, Kanon," Nariko said, waving goodbye before leaving Kanon alone with her teacher.

"Mrs Usui, I was just seeing if you are feeling any better today," the teacher said sitting on the end of his desk. "You gave us all quite a scare last week."

"I'm sorry about that," Kanon replied. "It wasn't a good week last week."

"I used to know your mother, Karin. She used to have a very bad case of anemia. I was worried that you might be experiencing something like that."

"Oh, no...........it's nothing like that."  
"Well, as long as you are okay." Kanon turned heels to leave the room but her teacher stopped her once more. "By the way. Did that police officer ever make it to your house?"

"What?"

"Friday, a police officer interrupted my class and told me he was looking for you. I told him that you had gone home sick and he asked for some directions to your house. Are you saying he never showed up."

Kanon shook her head, and left the room. What would a police officer be doing looking for her? She left the school quickly.


	20. Embarrassment 19

Embarrassment 19: One Question

* * *

That Monday seemed like the longest day that Kenta had ever experienced. Nobody had slept much last night. When Anju came to the house the night before, all Karin did was start arguing with her. This was the first time Kenta had ever seen Karin use a heated voice with her sister. But the news that Anju had brought when she came wasn't exactly what Karin wanted to hear right after she kicked her own daughter out of her house. Anju told them that Carrera was thinking about erasing Kanon's memory of living with the humans and raising her as a full vampire in the world of darkness. With Kanon's memories erased, she would no longer be sad about leaving her mother and father.

"Anju, you told me this was only going to be temporary!" Karin yelled. "I would never let Mama erase Kanon's memories!"

"Little niece is much more powerful than we thought she was. She just doesn't know it yet."

"Promise me, Anju. Promise me you won't take away her memories. Promise me, no matter what, you'll protect Kanon."

Anju didn't answer Karin. Instead she continued to grab some of Kanon's things as well as the bento Karin had made before leaving the Usui residence. Kenta was glad that Karin was no longer crying but she was still beating herself up for Kanon. The thing was that both of them knew all too well that this was going to be permanent. Kanon was going to be raised as a proper vampire and would most likely stay in the world of vampires. Karin didn't want her to be a vampire but it wasn't her decision.

After a long, restless night, Kenta tried his best at work the next day. He was dead tired and being that it was a Monday, there were many deliveries awaiting him when he came in. Kenta was a very hard working man and the manager position was now in sight for him. With the promotion, he would be able to afford anything for his family. That was all the motivation he needed to get through the day.

It was almost sunset when Kenta finally got off work. On the way home, he stopped by a florist shop and bought some flowers for Karin. When he made it home he placed the flowers in a vase with water and put it in front of the door. He knew that Karin would love the flowers and she needed something to brighten her spirits.

He then decided to make himself some supper, however he was nowhere near as talented at cooking as Karin was. Karin's cooking was so good that when he made his own food, it was almost tasteless in comparison. In fact it was partly because of her cooking that Kenta fell in love with her. He would have never survived through high school if it weren't for her bentos that she gave to him every day.

It was right around eight at night when there was knock at the door. He wondered if it might have been Anju, coming back for more of Kanon's things, when there was a second knock, this time much harder.

"Just a minute," Kenta said, turning off the stove and heading to the door.

Another knock.

_Anju would never be like this,_ Kenta thought to himself.

Kenta opened up his front door and found himself standing face to face with a buff looking police officer. The man looked more like a proffecinal body builder than an officer.

"Are you Kenta Usui?" the man asked. "Is your daughter Kanon at home?"

"No she isn't. I'm sorry officer, but what is this about?"

"Is it alright if I come in?"

Kenta was a bit nervous but he decided to let the officer in. He led the man into the kitchen and grabbed the man a glass of water before taking a seat at the table. Something felt wrong about this and there was a very familiar voice in the back of Kenta's mind telling him to get out of there but he ignored it.

"I'm sorry," Kenta finally said. "But why do you want to know where my daughter is?"

"We had a report that your daughter has been seen biting people in the park."

_Oh no,_ Kenta thought. _Somebody has seen her. This is just what the Maakas were afraid of._

The officer continued. "If you just tell me where she is..."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Kenta said, cutting him off, "but I think you must be mistaken. My daughter has been with me for the past week. You must have the wrong person."

The officer smiled. "If that is true, Usui, then why is she not with you now? Where could she be at such an hour?"

"She's out with a friend," Kenta said immediately.

He couldn't let him know the truth of her whereabouts. But the man seemed to know that Kenta was lying. He had a wicked grin on his face that sent a shiver down Kenta's spine. Also there was a voice that was telling him not to trust this man.

"Usui, I know that you are lying to me," the man said. "Both me and my brother have been to Kanon's school on separate occasions and not once was she there. We have been tracking her down for a week. Now tell me where your daughter is now!"

Kenta now knew that something was seriously wrong with this man. He wasn't a police officer at all. "I'm not going to tell you where she is. Now I would like you to leave."

"This is pointless," the officer said to himself. He reached into his coat and pulled out a 9mm pistol and pointed it at a now terrified Kenta. "I will ask you again. Where is that half-vampire demon?"

Kenta couldn't believe what was happening. This man was now holding him at gunpoint and knew that his daughter was a half-vampire. This definitely wasn't an officer. He was an imposter, and the way he eyed Kenta with that wicked stare made Kenta fear for his life.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the one asking the questions, Kenta," the man said, taking off his hat, revealing a messy head of brown hair. "Now I went through all the trouble of getting dressed up in this uniform to find your stupid half-vampire daughter, and you are standing in the way of me getting to her. So I'll ask one more time. Where is Kanon Usui?"

Kenta would rather die than sell his own daughter out. He had no clue who this man was or how he knew about Kanon but Kenta wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Go ahead and shoot me," Kenta said through gritted teeth. He gulped down his fear. "I'm not going to ever tell you where my daughter is. I don't know why you want her or what you plan to do with her, but she hasn't done anything wrong. And there is no way I'll ever sell her out to a thug like you."

At first the man didn't say anything. But before Kenta knew what was happening, the man was laughing hysterically. His laugh echoed loudly throughout the house. Kenta didn't know how to respond.  
"Do you really think that just because you give me that little speech that I'm going to magically break down and walk out of here like some action bad guy? Even as we speak, my brother is out hunting for your precious daughter, as well as the rest of the Maaka family." He paused for a moment and laughed again when he saw Kenta's face. Kenta was caught completely off guard by how much this man knew. "I'm right in thinking that Kanon is with the rest of the Maaka's, aren't I? But for some reason, we can't find their home. Or your's, for that matter. Thanks to the bat's that have created a barrier around both of your houses. However all it took was some directions from Kanon's school and we were able to find your place."

So the Maaka's had been protecting their home from intruders without them knowing it. But Kenta remembered that Karin had told him that she had told Anju to stop watching their family with bats. That meant that the barrier around their house was gone now. This would be the perfect time for the Maaka's help as well.  
"You'll never find Kanon," was all Kenta could think of saying.

"It's a shame that you won't help me out here. But you are wrong. I will find your daughter and kill her when I do. As for you... Well even though you are a human, you are now with the Maaka family. So I guess it makes you a viable target."

Kenta knew exactly what that meant and before he could move a muscle, the sound of a gun went off within his house, followed by two more. For a moment, he sat there just staring the buff, mean looking imposter down. In his mind there was a vision of Karin running up to him crying. This Karin grabbed him by the shirt and started screaming things at him that he was unable to hear.

_No..._

_Not Karin..._

_Somebody else..._

_A girl who looks like Karin..._

_Sophia..._

_Her name is Sophia..._

_Why can't I hear her voice..._

The vision slowly faded to black as Kenta's head fell onto the kitchen table. The last vision he had was Sophia holding him in her arms and crying. After that, everything went black.

"What a waste," the man said, grabbing his hat from the table and walking out the front door, kicking over the vase in the process. "And I expected him to put up a fight."

It was only fifteen minutes later when Karin came home. She had been held at work longer than usual due to it being packed tonight. The Usui residence was filled with the sounds of screaming and tears just moments later. But nobody was there to comfort her. Not in this home. Not tonight.


	21. Embarrassment 20

Embarrassment 20: Freak

* * *

Kanon had decided not to tell anyone about the conversation she had with her teacher, but she had no clue why a police officer had come to her classroom looking for her. Actually, if she was remembering correctly, this was the second time that somebody had showed up looking for her while she was gone. She just hoped that somebody hadn't caught her feeding on a person. It would cause too much trouble for her family and that was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

On her way home, she decided to pass by Julians to say hello to Karin. Karin was so happy to see her that she nearly burst out into tears again. Kanon thanked her mama for the bento, telling her it was delicious, only making Karin happier

"I promise to make you a special bento everyday," Karin said, hugging her daughter.

Kanon told her mama not to worry about how she was feeling, and that she would try extra hard to be a proper vampire to make everyone proud. The young half-blood didn't really like the sound of that, however she had a feeling that Karin would want to hear it. If it would make her mama smile, she was willing to do anything.

Karin gave her a weak smile. Deep down, she was thinking about her childhood. Her entire family was always urging her to become a proper vampire. Even when she started producing excess blood, her mother and father had always urged her to be act like a real vampire. However it never seemed to work out because Karin was so much like a human. But looking into the light red, cat-like eyes of her daughter, and the very small fangs that protruded from her gums, she knew Kanon could do what she could not.

"Kanon, I will love you no matter what you are," Karin reassured her. "Human or vampire."

Kanon felt better hearing her mother say that. Since Karin knew that there probably wouldn't be any food at the Maaka mansion, Karin went into the back and got some food for her daughter. Her daughter took the food, gave her mother a kiss, and left Julians. Karin just watched her young daughter go, before returning to work. There seemed to be a lot more people at Julians than normal. She was probably going to be working late.

_My fifteenth birthday is going to be in a couple more months,_ Kanon thought as she crossed the road and headed into the park. _Then I can get a part time job and help out with the family. After all, Mama and Papa had a job while they were in high school._

Kanon knew when she was getting close to the Maaka mansion by all the bats that would suddenly be flying overhead. She knew that it meant that she was passing through the barrier. If an intruder tried to find the mansion, or even come near it, the bats would react and keep the intruder going in circles. Kanon wasn't completely fond of the bats. She wondered though, since vampires are naturally adept at using bats, could the same be said for Kanon? She noticed one of the bats sitting on a tree branch nearby.

"Come here," Kanon said softly, putting her hand out for the bat to fly to.

The bat just stared at her like she was an idiot, and when she took a step toward it, the bat took off into the sky. Kanon sighed. _I guess I can't control bats either._

She actually didn't mind that too much. She would rather keep her distance from them and would find it very hard to explain to her friends at school if too many bats followed her around all of a sudden.

To nobody's surprise, nobody was awake when Kanon entered the Maaka mansion. It took her a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness of the room. She tried her best to feel her way to the dining room where she ate her meal alone. She had a good idea that Anju would be wanting to take her out to feed again once night fell so she decided to sleep until then. It wasn't too hard seeing that she didn't get any sleep the night before.

Right on cue, when the sun had started to set in the sky, Anju awoke and climbed out of her coffin with Boogy in hand. Ren was waiting for her in the hallway. Anju was surprised to see him awake so early.

"Just to let you know," Ren said. "Bridget and Tohru will be visiting in two weeks. It seems I've been away from them for too long. Bridget figured out that I was just using this visit to escape them."

_"Oh Tohru Maaka?"_ Boogy said, snickering. _"How has he been? He doesn't seem too urgent to see you."_

"Tohru is too selfish to care about anybody but himself." Ren said, glaring at Boogy. "I doubt he has even realized I'm gone."

_"Sounds just like you, Ren."_

"And what about you, Anju? Are you planning to take Kanon out again? Don't you think it's a little dangerous making her blood increase so often. If she's anything like Karin..."

"Kanon isn't like Big sister," Anju said immediately. "As long as Kanon drinks blood, the nosebleeds won't kill her."

"She'll never be a real vampire, no matter what you do," Ren warned. "Half-vampires will never be accepted by either humans or vampires. They are freaks of nature, just like Tachibana."

"Kanon is not a freak!" Anju hissed. Ren shuttered slightly when the picture frames on the walls around him cracked.

"Whatever you say, Anju," Ren said, walking off down the hallway.

_"Don't let him get to you, Anju,"_ Boogy said nervously.

Taking a deep breath Anju entered Kanon's room and woke the girl up. Anju was determined to show that Ren Maaka was wrong about Kanon. Just because she was born from a human father and a vampire mother, didn't mean she couldn't be normal.

The two of them left the house as soon as the sun had fully set and darkness had covered the sky. Anju wanted to find out the extent of Kanon's vampire powers. Each vampire had different powers that they were proficient in. Ren could manipulate any mind and wipe almost anybody's memories without much physical work. Anju could control bats better than any vampire in Japan. So what could Kanon do?

In order to test Kanon's powers she would have to be near a person whom her blood was attractive to. In other words, they had to find an angry person. At first there were no takers. Kanon and Anju walked around town for almost thirty minutes and Kanon never got so much as a whiff of anger in the air. Anju started to doubt that Kanon's blood would even start to increase tonight, since she had bitten someone just a night before. Kanon was starting to get tired of waiting for her blood to increase as well.

Back at the Maaka mansion, Henry and Carrera were sitting in the family room when they heard pounding on their front door. Elda happened to be the first one to the door and opened it to see Karin, tears streaming down her eyes.

"Karin!" Elda exclaimed, catching her granddaughter as Karin fell into her arms, crying harder than ever before. "What happened?"

"Kenta...Kenta...Ken...ta!" Karin screamed. She was delirious, making no sense at all. "Who did this to you Kenta!...Kenta please talk to me! You can't be dead! You just can't be!"

"DEAD!" Henry and Elda both exclaimed.

"Karin...Karin talk to me," Elda said, shaking some sense into her granddaughter. "What happened to Kenta Usui?"

It was no good. Karin just continued rambling on. "So much blood! Who did this! It's all my fault!"

"Henry, take Karin," Elda ordered Henry, handing her his daughter.

"Where are you going, Mother?"

"I've got to go find Kanon. I've got a feeling somebody is after her."

With that, Elda ran out the door and called all of her bats to spread out and find Kanon and Anju. The problem was that Kanon and Anju had ventured into a very dense part of the park because Kanon's blood had finally started to react. There was a girl sleeping on a bench in the middle of the park with a strong scent coming off her. It had taken so long for Kanon to find one person that Anju had had time to feed on three different people. Since she drank more blood, her body stayed in the young state.

_"About time,"_ Boogy said. _"You sure are a picky eater, Kanon."_

"I'm sorry."

"Little niece, how are you feeling."

"It doesn't seem to hurt as bad as it usually does," Kanon said, honestly. "But the longer I wait the more I can feel my blood expanding within me. It's very uncomfortable."

"You should never wait until it hurts to feed, Little niece. But if when you bite a human you must always get rid of any evidence. That means that you must erase their memories of you ever biting them."

"I think I can do that."

Kanon approached the young female, feeling the fangs in her mouth slowly increasing in size. The closer she got to that person the harder her heart pounded until she was just a few feet from the girl. Her mouth was watering as she lowered down towards the woman. But before she could ever sink her fangs into the woman's soft flesh, the sound of a pistol echoed through the trees.

"You bite her and I blow your head off, monster," a man's voice said from behind her. She and Anju both turned around to see a young, handsome man with brown hair was pointing a gun straight at Kanon. "I'd step away from the girl if you know what's good for you."

* * *

And with that, part two of the Chibi Vampire: New Blood story is over. So far Kanon and Karin have been doing nothing but crying. But there lives will turn around soon enough. It's not that I was happy taking Kenta out of the picture but it is going to make for a very interesting continuation now that Karin will be living with the Maaka's. BTW, thanks for all the reviews. It helps keep me going. I've never had so many fans and I love to watch my traffic climb. I'll post the next part at lightning speed as always so please keep reading.


	22. Embarrassment 21

Embarrassment 21: Two Brothers

* * *

"There's not many things that happen in japan without me first knowing about it, Keitaro," A tall man in a suit told his son while staring out over the city of Tokyo. "Look out there, Son. What do you see? Over twelve million humans live down there, along with about one hundred vampire clans. Vampires have made up less than one percent of the world population for the past two hundred years. And their numbers slowly dwindle."

"Why is that, Father?" The young man named Keitaro asked.

"Because vampires are no longer able to reproduce. They may have exceptionally long lives, but they do die. And without any way to leave behind descendants, their years are limited." He paused and turned around to face his son. "However, it has come to my attention that all this may change. The savior of vampires has finally come."

"The Pushuke," Keitaro responded. "I've heard rumors about a blood producing vampire who's blood could restore fertility inside vampires. They say fifteen years ago she was kidnapped by one of the vampire clans and escaped. But I heard she died soon after."

"She is a child of the Marker vampire clan, the only clan that still has the ability to have children. Their daughter, Karin Maaka, was the second Pushuke in the history of vampires. And she didn't die. She stopped producing blood for an unknown reason and became a vampire in hibernation. It made it very hard to track them down. But now, word has reached my ears that Karin married a human boy and had a child who has now awakened as a vampire."

"And she is the new Pushuke?"

"It is even worse. She is the first and only half-vampire that is fully capable of reproducing on her own. To some, she would be considered the perfect vampire. A vampire that can walk in daylight hours and reproduce with anybody is dangerous to us."

The man noticed that his son was shocked state. Keitaro's eyes had lit up like fireworks. But all the mood in the room was broken by the booming voice of Keitaro's older brother, Yukio, who came in the room laughing.

"So what," Yukio said walking up to his father while spinning a combat knife around in his hand. "Why don't we just track the little runt down and kill her? I mean, this Karin girl has broken the vampire code. Vampires and humans can not marry and are not to have children because half-vampires are just pathetic weaklings that are outcasts by both humans and vampires."

Keitaro glared his brother down.

"The entire Marker family has been a nuisance ever since they kidnapped the first Pushuke," the father said. "They are easily the most powerful vampire clan in all of Japan. They come as somewhat as a threat to the rest of the vampires. But do you think that you are good enough to hunt them down?"

Yukio laughed evilly. "I've killed enough vampires in my day. I think I can handle one little vampire family."

"Then I'll leave the vampire hunting to you...and Keitaro."

"What!" both Keitaro and Yukio exclaimed in unison.

"Father, Yukio and I have never worked on a case together and we plan to keep it that way."

"What is wrong with working together," their father asked. "You are only seventeen years old, Keitaro, but both you and your brother are the best hunters in all of Japan. I need the two of you to work together on this to take down the Markers. We have been tracking down the Marker clan for over fifteen years and have never come close to finding them. Their bats have placed a barrier that almost no one can penetrate. Only if you two work together do you have a chance in hell of finally bringing down the most dangerous vampires in all of Japan."

"We are not going to..." Yukio started to protest.

"This is not up for debate. Work together or don't take the job."

"Don't worry, Father," Yukio said, still spinning the knife. "We'll take care of the Marker clan, along with the half-vampire scum. Let's go, Keitaro."

With that both Keitaro and Yukio left the room together and got on the elevator. Behind them, the father turned back towards the window. There was an all too familiar wicked smile upon his face. "This will be the end of all vampires. With the Pushuke out of the picture, the vampires days will finally be numbered."

The two brothers were dead silent as they road the elevator down to ground floor. Even though they weren't saying anything, both of the Cross brothers were on thin ice with each other. Both of them worked for their father as vampire hunters and were the best in the business. Cross organization was a very secret company that protected the balance between vampires and humans. The organization is the only one that vampires and humans work together happily. But when vampires or humans break the code they are hunted down. Between the two Cross brothers, a sum of over a hundred vampires and humans have been killed. But the brothers worked in very different ways. Keitaro hated the blunt way his brother Yukio would kill anyone just to get to his target. Keitaro was more of a thinking man who only hunted because it made his father proud of him. He had no honor when he took down a life.

Like usual, the two brothers collected as much information from the libraries about the new target and the rest of the Marker clan, which turned out to be very little information. For some reason, not too much was known about the vampires in the records. For some reason, they had moved to Japan from Europe over two hundred years ago. The city they lived in and the school that young Kanon went to was all they could find. They would have to search all over the city for the vampires.

"Looks like this is going to be a fun hunt, right little brother?" Yukio said laughing as he left the library. "This may finally be an interesting hunt. Not like the last half-vampire you hunted down. What was her name again?"

"Tachibana," Keitaro said without looking at his brother.

"Half-vampires have no right living. They are a waste of space and air. What good is a demon that can't ever be accepted by either vampires or humans."

Keitaro immediately cut him off. "What do you say we split up? We could easily cover more ground that way."

"It's a race then."

The two brothers left the organization building and headed off in different directions.


	23. Embarrassment 22

Embarrassment 22: The Trap

* * *

Kanon didn't know what to do. She could still feel her blood increasing but it meant nothing when she was at the business end of a pistol. She backed slowly and cautiously away from the woman who was about to become her next meal and inched her way over to Anju, who had the look of fire burning in her eyes. For the first time in Anju's life she felt a genuinely human emotion of fear sweep over her. This was the first time that anybody had ever caught her off her guard. She wondered how her bats didn't catch sight of the man before. Even Boogy's wooden body was shaking in her arms.

"My name is Keitaro Cross with the Cross Organization," the young man said, still pointing the pistol at Kanon. He was at a range that he could take her out with very little aim. "You must be Kanon Usui and Anju Maaka. I have read a lot about you, Anju. It is hard to believe that such a young looking girl like yourself is actually older than me. The woman was drugged and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. But as for you, I would advise you not to make any sudden movements. I will not hesitate to pull the trigger."

"What do you want with us?" Kanon barely mumbled through her fear while trying to hold back an oncoming nosebleed.

"My brother and I have been tracking you down for the past week, Usui," Keitaro explained calmly. "You and the entire Maaka family have broken the vampire code of honor. A code which when broken, is punishable by death."

"We never broke any rules."

"But your parents did. According to the code, no vampire may ever let a human know of his or her true identity. Nor may they bear children. The Cross Organization has been protecting the balance between humans and vampires for over fifty years. We keep the two worlds split and keep vampires hidden from human eyes. That's the way it has always been. But your mother was trying to break down those walls and let a human know what she was."

"It was my idea to let Kenta know about the vampires, not Karin," Anju said in her monotone voice. "Big sister Karin wasn't like other vampires and needed somebody to look after her during the day. I knew the risk when I told Kenta, and promised I would take full responsibility for my actions. But Kenta has never told a soul about vampires and has been more of a help than ever."

"That may be true," Keitaro said slowly, "and the organization let it slide for quite a few years. But the code also strictly forbids having children with humans. You should know full well how dangerous half-vampires are. Since half-vampires cannot control their urges like a full vampire can, they will eventually become feral."

"Kanon won't be like that!" Anju hissed.

She took a step towards Keitaro but was surprised when he fired off a round that just barely missed her left cheek. It was so close that she could feel the wind as the bullet zipped past and hit a tree behind her. The anger immediately left her eyes and was replaced by fear.

"You don't know that, Anju," he said lowering the pistol slightly. "All vampires have an instinct that helps them hunt for the blood they like. But most can control that urge when their around humans. It's not the same for a half-vampire. In a few years time, she will become a danger to all humans around her. That is why I am here."

Kanon was dead silent. She had no idea that something like that would ever happen to her. What's worse was that Anju knew this all along and never told her. Kanon was a very bright student and it wasn't hard to see. The reason Anju was bringing Kanon out to feed night after night was because Anju knew that Kanon would become a monster one day and was trying to teach her how to control her urges.

"You're not going to touch Kanon," Anju stated plainly, stepping between Keitaro and Kanon.

_"What are you doing, Anju?"_ Boogy said, flailing like a madman in her arms. _"You know that he's just going to kill you then kill Kanon. Move out of the way."_

"No," Anju said firmly. "I made a promise that I would protect Little niece no matter what. That even means if I have to die in her place."

_"But why, Anju. You're not making any sense. I can't let you put yourself in harms way for another person."_

Keitaro just stared her down silently. When he was forced to hunt down vampires, it was always the evil ones. The ones that had broke the code and would fight to the death. Keitaro was not like his brother and didn't like hunting vampires. That was why he only took the jobs that required taking down the most dangerous of vampires. But here he was, pointing his gun at two frightened young girls. What kind of evil vampire would sacrifice her own life just so another could live. Keitaro lowered his weapon.

"This is your one pass, vampire," Keitaro said softly. "Get out of here?"

"What?" Kanon asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"I'm not about to gun down two innocent young girls for crimes they haven't committed yet. But if I ever see you again, I will shoot all of you. More hunters are going to come looking for you. Your entire family will be hunted down." He turned his back on them and pulled out his cellphone. "I would recommend laying low for a while."

Kanon couldn't believe that he was letting her go. But they didn't waste any time. Anju grabbed ahold of Kanon's arm and took off into the forest before Keitaro could change his mind. He didn't pay attention to them. He called up his brother and told him that the ambush point was a failure and that the girl never showed up. Yukio was less than pleased with his brothers output and hung up immediately on him.

_What are you doing, Keitaro_, he thought to himself. _You have never let an enemy get away before. What makes these two girls any different?_

Elda happened to find the two young girls only a few minutes later. She didn't even give them any time to speak before dropping down and grabbing them, carrying them away in a cloud of bats. Kanon stayed abnormally quiet the entire ride back to the Maaka mansion. She had hardly spoken at all since Keitaro had pointed a gun at her. Anju just thought that maybe she was just in a state of shock. But Kanon was far from that. She was staring down at the city below thinking about something completely different.

Henry was still hold his crying daughter when Kanon, Elda, and Anju landed outside the Maaka mansion. Ren and Carrera had already been called back from hunting and were sitting inside talking amongst each other. When Karin saw Kanon she immediately ran up to her daughter as if she hadn't seen her in years.

"I was so worried about you," Karin said crying.

"I'm okay, Mama," Kanon reassured her. She then looked around. "Where's Papa?"

It didn't take long to figure out the answer from the way everyone was acting. Karin only started crying harder. Henry and Elda avoided glance from Kanon. Even Boogy realized what had happened. His large wooden jaw dropped.

"No," Kanon said, wrenching herself out of Karin's grasp. "Mama, where is Papa?"

"Kanon, I'm sorry," Henry said.

"Where is Papa?" Kanon cried.

* * *

Sorry if you were expecting a big action sequence in this chapter. Truth is, Karin is not much of an action story so I do not plan to have many fight scenes in the Chibi Vampire: New Blood story. But there will still be some so don't worrry.


	24. Embarrassment 23

Embarrassment 23: Father and Daughter

* * *

A week has passed since Kenta died. In the eyes of all the Maaka's, it was the longest and most unsettling week as well. Almost nobody left the mansion and treated the human world like it was filled with poisonous gas. The only one who left was Ren, who decided to return to his family and protect them, just in case the organization decided to hunt them down next. He didn't believe in remaining in hiding for some stupid vampire hunters. Before he left though, he promised Anju that he would be back before she knew it. As for the rest of the family, they had to remain in hiding. As long as the bats were outside, nobody would ever find the house.

The problem was that Henry and Carrera knew all about the Cross Organization. It was them who made the vampire code of honor. There was no use fighting them. They will stop at nothing to carry out the execution. The entire family had no choice but to remain in hiding for a week or two hoping that the organization would give up and go home.

A very small funeral was held for Kenta Usui on that Friday. Only Fumio Usui was told about his death. She didn't take it very well, but nobody expected her too. She had lost her only child. Karin told her that he had been hit by a truck and the body was completely destroyed. It was the only thing she could think of saying. She didn't want her mother in law seeing the bullet holes in her son. But it was hard for her to even speak through all of her tears.

Kenta was buried in a grove just outside the Maaka barrier. It was a very peaceful and quiet strip of land that was secluded by the surrounding forest. There was only one other gravestone here and it belonged to Karin's grandfather, whom she had never gotten to meet. This patch of land was now the Maaka family graveyard. Karin stayed at Kenta's grave hours after everyone had returned inside. There was a large amount of bats keeping an eye on her though.

Kanon was still being quiet as ever. She kept herself locked inside her room day and night, only coming out to eat and use the restroom. Every once and a while, the sounds of sobbing could be heard from inside the room. She couldn't go to school anymore and Anju had done the honors of erasing all of the student's memories of her ever being there. Karin wasn't very happy with the idea. She didn't understand why they had to completely remove her from existence. Karin still deeply wanted Kanon's life to return to the way it once was. Kanon however wasn't totally upset. She was starting to fear the outside world as well and she knew that she could choose to live in either world. But she felt terrible about her mother. She knew all to well that Karin had no life in the vampire world. Even though she was a vampire by blood, she was a human by definition.

Her mother had already lost her husband. How could she happily live alone with Kanon gone as well. Kanon was only fourteen years old and would be fifteen in a few months. It was still too early for her to leave her mother behind, knowing what powers were after her. So what could she do? Plus, how long would it be before Kanon became a feral vampire. From what Keitaro had told her, soon she would be a danger to everyone around her and she didn't even understand why.

"Life is getting so complicated," Kanon said silently, rolling to her side in the bed and staring gloomily out her window at the night sky. "I wish I wasn't such a burden on the rest of the family."

_"You are not a burden, Kanon,"_ a familiar voice said from somewhere in the room.

Kanon sat up in her bed and looked around the room, unsure if she had really heard someone. "Who's there?"

Suddenly, like from out of the mist, a figure appeared in the center of Kanon's room. Kanon was startled at first but her jaw dropped when she noticed who the figure was. It was none other than Kenta Usui, standing with his arms crossed in the center of the room, while smiling at her.

"Papa..." Kanon said slowly, "Papa...is it really you?"

Kenta responded by walking over to his daughter and giving her a hug. Kanon could hardly believe it and burst into tears in her father's arms. She couldn't remember another time in her life where she had been so happy to see her dad. It took all of her strength just to let go of him.

"But Papa, your dead," Kanon said, stating the obvious.

_"And only you will ever be able to see me now,"_ Kenta said softly. _"I may be dead, Kanon, but I promise to stay by you."_

"So you're a ghost," she asked nervously, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "How is this possible, Papa?"

_"Just don't question it, Kanon. Unless you'd like me to leave."_

"No, Papa," she replied quickly, tugging on his shirt. "I don't want you to ever leave me. I just wish Mama could see you too. I feel so bad for Mama. She so lonely now."

_"You know, Kanon, there is a way for your mother to become a normal vampire. If she were a normal vampire, she could happily live you and the rest of the Maakas. If you want, I can help you bring Karin out of hibernation."_

"You can really do that?"

Kenta nodded and Kanon smiled. If her mother were to be a true vampire, Kanon could live a bit better knowing that her mother wouldn't have to be lonely anymore. And she didn't think that Karin would mind if she knew that she could be with Kanon.

"What do I have to do, Papa?"

Kenta pointed to the window. _"Somewhere in town is a vampiric library that holds the key to turning your mother into a real vampire."_

Kanon's eyes widened. "Out there? But Papa, there are hunters out there who are trying to kill me. I can't leave here."

_"I'll watch over you. You should be safe now."_

Kanon had a weird feeling being around her father. He didn't act or talk like the father she had grown up to know. She didn't even bother asking him how he knew about the vampire library. After thinking it over briefly in her head, she went over to the window, opened it and jumped out. Kenta followed with her. Outside of Kanon's room, Anju was standing with Boogy, listening in.

_"Who the hell was she talking to?"_ Boogy asked Anju.

Anju didn't answer and just shrugged her shoulders. Kanon had left the house and Anju was determined to follow her and keep her safe.

* * *

Sorry it took so long for me to update. Been working a lot. But I promise to try and put out as many chapters as I can. Thanks for all the reviews btw. I got some major plans for Keitaro and Yukio.


	25. Embarrassment 24

Embarrassment 24: Spotted

* * *

"I give up," Yukio said, slamming his bottle down onto the table angrily. "Two weeks. For two weeks now, we've been hunting this stupid family down. We've circled this city three times, and for what? Nobody seems to know of the Maaka family anymore. It's like were chasing ghosts here... Waiter! How long does it take you to bring me another god damn beer!"

"Just a moment, Sir," the waiter said before running off to the kitchen.

"You should really calm down with the beers, brother," Keitaro said, leaning back in the booth and resting against the wall. "Maybe if you didn't pull a gun on the Usui boy, the Maaka's wouldn't have gone into hiding."

"And what about you little brother? You haven't done much to help look for those vampires. Why don't you use your so called amazing abilities and track the demons down?"

Keitaro snickered lightly. "You know I can't do that."

"Then what good are you to me?" Just then, the waiter came up behind Yukio holding another two beers in his hand. Unfortunately, he startled Yukio. Without warning Yukio swung his arms out catching the waiter in the gut, causing the man to drop to the ground and drop the beers. Yukio just stared at him. "You stupid boy. You should know better than sneaking up behind me. You should be lucky I didn't kill you."

The few people that were at the bar just stared, wide eyed, as the waiter struggled to his feet and cleaned up the mess. Keitaro just watched silently as the man walked off. Of course he felt sorry for the man but he wasn't about to show a weakness in front of his older brother. Yukio always had an aggressive nature. Keitaro had learned the hard way to stay out of his way.

"I think I'm just going to call father and tell him the mission was a failure," he said, pulling out his cellphone and dialing the number.

"You go ahead and do that. Then I won't have to be the one who gets..." Yukio trailed off. He had happened to be looking out the window when he saw somebody standing at the stoplight just a few meters away from the bar. "I'll be damned. Hold on a second, Little brother. What color was the hair of that half-vampire demon that we're looking for?"

"Purple. Why?"

Yukio grinned evilly. "Look."

Keitaro glanced out the window to where Yukio was pointing. Walking across the crosswalk was a girl with long purple hair. Little Kanon was going right past the bar.

_Dammit, Kanon,_ Keitaro thought to himself. _You couldn't have waited just five more minutes. I warned you that the next time I saw you, I would have to kill you. You're leaving me no choice._

"See, Little brother," Yukio said, snickering. He stood up. "You throw in the towel way too easy. Wait long enough and your prey comes to you."

Without even motioning for his brother, Yukio grabbed his things and headed for the door. Sighing, Keitaro payed for the beers, grabbed his jacket, and chased after his brother. Kanon wasn't far ahead of them, so they stayed out of sight. If all went well, the young girl would lead them right through the vampiric barrier and up to the Maaka's front door. It didn't seem very hard to hide from her. She seemed so preoccupied with somebody else though the Cross brothers didn't see who it was. At the corner of every block, Kanon would stop for a moment and speak to the air before continuing on. The entire time, Keitaro just wished she would lose them. He still didn't feel right taking down a vampire who hasn't committed any crimes yet.

"How much farther is it to this library, Papa?" Kanon asked her father.

_"Not much further. You'd be pretty surprised to find that the vampiric library is hidden underneath the public library."_

"Are you sure? I've been to the library many times and never saw this library."

_"You've never been there at night, though."_

It wasn't much longer before Kanon reached the public library. During the day, the large marble building with the two shisa statues sitting on either side of the large, wooden double-doors always had a very comforting and secure feeling about them. However, in the moonlight there was a very unsettling feeling about this place. Kanon was starting to have second thoughts about any of this. The library doors were locked, though there were no surprises there.

"Papa are you sure about this?" Kanon questioned, turning around to face Kenta. She was surprised to see him standing over by one of the walls next to an open window. Kanon understood what he wanted her to do but just didn't believe it. "I can't just break into the library."

_"This is the only way. Kanon, I promise that you won't regret this."_

Kanon didn't want to question the motives of her own father. But something was different about him and it was very noticeable. But she loved her father more than anything in the world and never had a thought in her mind that he would ever betray her. With that thought glued into her brain, she walked over to the window and climbed in. Meanwhile, Keitaro and Yukio were standing behind a tree just watching as she disappeared within the dark library.

"Why the hell would she break into a library in the middle of the night?" Yukio wondered.

"Maybe she want's to check out a book," Keitaro replied sarcastically.

"Don't be stupid. Well this sucks. I was hopping the little runt would lead me to the vampires. Forget this. I'm not going to let the demon get away from me this time."

"Wait a second," Keitaro said. "You're going to attack her now. I thought we were going to follow her to the Maaka's barrier. If we take her out now, we'll never find the rest of the Maaka family."

"So what. We've got the dumb ass cornered. And why do you care if I take the little girl out now? You haven't shown much care for this mission since it started..." Yukio paused. "Wait. Don't tell me you have feelings for the freak."

"What?" Keitaro asked angrily. "Don't even joke about that."

"Well, if you don't want to kill her, you can just wait out here. But I'm going in there and taking my prey out. Later, Little brother. You can explain to father why you don't want to do your mission."

Yukio pulled out a pistol from his belt and ran over to the window, showing off by diving through the window. Keitaro just watched him go with a look of discontent in his face.

"Dammit," was all he said.


	26. Embarrassment 25

Embarrassment 25: Library of Vampires

* * *

Kanon walked amongst the many isles of books, following the ghost of her father in silence. She could hardly see where she was going and allowed her father to lead the way. Somehow, he seemed to know where he was going. Kanon knew that ghosts existed and that a few vampires could communicate with the dead. After all, Boogy was no more than a ghost of serial killer that had been trapped inside the body of a doll. But Kanon had no idea how much a ghost knew. For all she knew, when her father died he learned everything.

Near the back of the library was a wall that had been painted with a design of a medieval countryside. It was very elegantly painted, showing a small city with a castle near a waterfall. In the foreground of the picture was a war going on with knights and horses charging into battle. It was at this painting that Kenta stopped and turned around to face his daughter. It didn't take her long to realize why. In the very center of the wall painting was a red light. Kanon had never seen this light before. It seemed to be caused by the moonlight from outside because when she stepped in front of the wall, her shadow blocked was cast on the wall and the light disappeared. She moved to the side and the wall glowed once again.

With a cautious hand, she reached out and touched the light. The moment she did, the light spread out in two directions. Like an invisible hand drawing on the wall, the light made the outline of a rectangle on the wall. Clearly a door. Kanon gave the wall a slight push and was surprised to find out that it swung open as if it were made of wood, not stone. There was a staircase going downward into darkness along with a breeze blowing in. It scared Kanon to death. She really didn't want to venture down there. But Kenta just started down the stairs.

"Hold on a second, Papa," Kanon whined. "I really don't want to go down there."

_"Nothing is going to hurt you, Kanon,"_ her father reassured.

"But I can't see anything."

Kenta sighed and walked back up to his daughter. _"Would you like it if I held your hand?"_

Kanon may not have been a little kid anymore but she was afraid. Kenta put out one hand for her to grab and she grabbed hold of it. It wasn't cold but comfortably warm. Not exactly what she expected a ghost's hand to feel like. And even when she got close to Kenta she could smell the aroma from his clothing. Everything that she had thought about ghosts had been wrong. In fact, she felt like her father was still alive and with her at this very moment. It made her feel warm inside.

She clung tightly to her father as they walked down the spiral staircase to a door at the bottom. There were words carved on the door that Kanon could not make out but she recognized the style from the Maaka's library. It must have been ancient vampiric writing. She reached out and opened the door. The room was as dark as a cave and Kanon couldn't make out anything at all. She wished that her vampire senses would kick in so that she could see. But she was only a half-vampire and her senses only awoke when she was near the people with the blood she liked. Right now, she was basically a human.

"This is useless," Kanon whined again. "I can't see anything at all."

"Take this then," a familiar voice said from just inches behind Kanon.

She was so scared that she almost screamed. She wheeled around to see a bright light shining in her eyes. The light was coming from a flashlight and it was bright enough that she couldn't tell who was holding it. But she knew the voice.

"Great Grandma?" Kanon asked.

"Who else?" Elda said, shoving the flashlight into Kanon's hands. "Do you really think you could leave home without me knowing?"

Kanon shined the light on her great grandma and realized that her aunt, Anju was standing right behind her with Boogy in her hands.

_"God, Kanon,"_ Boogy teased, stabbing his kitchen knife through the air. _"You must really have __a death wish."_

"It wasn't very smart to leave the mansion, Little niece," Anju said in her monotone voice.

"How did you find a place like this on your own, Kanon," Elda asked, pushing past Kanon and looking around the library.

_"Don't tell them about me,"_ Kenta whispered in Kanon's ear before disappearing like a spirit in the wind.

"Just lucky, I guess," Kannon said, trying and failing horribly at lying.

"This is a very old library," Elda said, not even paying attention to her. "It looks like it hasn't been used in hundreds of years. This must have been a private library of a vampire clan that lived here before us. The human library was built right on top of it."

Kanon shined her light around the room. It was quite a small library, and looked more like a very big closet instead of a library. There were three walls that were covered with old wooden shelves, most of which had been broken by father time. There were quite a few books on the shelves and scattering the ground in small piles. In the center of the room was the remains of a rotted table and what looked like three chairs. There was a foul smell coming from the wood that Kanon didn't like to much. It seemed to bother Elda and Anju even more.

The last wall had another painting on it. It was what looked like a religious painting of a female god-like figure standing above a group of people. Kanon felt like she should know this woman from somewhere but that was just crazy.

"Kanon," Anju asked, "Why did you come here?"

"Well...uh...you see...I had this dream..." It was no use. Kanon couldn't come up with a good enough lie for what she was doing in a vampire library at the dead of night. She decided to tell the truth. "Somewhere in this library is a book that will tell me how to turn Mama into a real vampire. If Mama becomes a normal vampire she can live happily with the rest of us and I won't have to leave her by herself. Then we can all be happy."

She waited for either one of them to respond but both of them were silent. It was actually Boogy who broke the silence.

_"Are you crazy, you dimwit. Do you honestly think that there could be a book in here that could turn Karin into a normal vampire."_

"We've looked for a way to turn Karin into a real vampire before," Elda said softly. "When we found out that Karin no longer produced excess blood we tried thinking of ways to make her a normal vampire so that we wouldn't have to erase her memory of us. We searched everywhere for an answer but never found one. It's just not possible, Kanon."

Kanon wouldn't let her great grandma tell her this. There was no way that her own father would lie to her. Kenta obviously knew something that they didn't and Kanon knew in her heart that he was right. She was determined to prove that.

"I know that there is a way to make Mama a real vampire," Kanon replied. "I just know it. And the answer is in this library. I'm going to find it with or without you."

Anju looked hard at Kanon. "If you're really serious about this. I'll help you search for the book."

"Thank you, Anju," Kanon said happily, giving Anju a hug.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Yukio was searching around furiously for Kanon. Anju and Elda had closed the vampire door behind them and since Yukio was a human, he couldn't see the red light that came from the door.

"This is a load of bullshit," he yelled angrily. "Where the heck did she go. She couldn't have gotten out already."


	27. Embarrassment 26

Embarrassment 26: Backup

* * *

Yukio kept searching around the library for Kanon when he got a call on his cellphone. Without even looking at who it was he assumed it was his younger brother.

"Did you decide to come and help me, Little brother?" he asked into the phone.

The voice that answered was not that of his brother but the last person he wanted calling him. "Who do you think you are talking to, Yukio?" his father said sternly.

"I'm sorry, Father," Yukio replied quickly. "I didn't know it was you."

"I was just calling because it has been two weeks since you and your brother started hunting down the Maaka clan, and I was starting to get worried."

"Well, we're just about to finish off what's left of the clan. They're no different from any other weak vampire I've hunted down," Yukio lied.

His father laughed. "You must think I'm stupid, Son. You probably haven't even killed a single vampire. But don't worry. I expected you to fail at the mission. You always disappoint me, Yukio. So I've sent some backup to help you track down the Maaka vampires. They already know where you are and will be there soon. Don't fail me again, Yukio."

He didn't even give his son a chance to reply before hanging up the phone. Yukio Cross hated his father and his father hated him. Technically speaking, he was his stepson. Yukio and Keitaro were only half brothers. Same mother but different fathers. Both Yukio always tried to make his stepfather happy hoping that one day he could take over Cross organization and lead it in a new direction. But his stepfather knew of his hatred for all vampires and always shut Yukio down. No matter how many missions he went on, Keitaro always took the pride.

Outside of the library, Keitaro was laying on the grass looking up at the star while waiting for his brother to return from inside to tell the tale of how he took down the half-vampire. At least then, they could return home and say that the mission was a partial success, Yukio would be able to march around with his pride, and life could continue on.

However, at the same time, Keitaro was totally against killing Kanon. He had hunted down many half-vampires before and there were still many more out there. But he never hunted them down unless they went feral. That was when they became a danger to society. Until that point, half-vampires were free to live out there lives. So why was Kanon being hunted down now? She was different from all the half-bloods he had hunted before. Was it because she was the Pushuke?

_Get a hold of yourself, Keitaro,_ he told himself. _You know the vampire code of honor better than anybody else. Vampires and humans can never be together. Half-bloods only bring pain to this world. That is why you hunt them down._

Even as he thought this, there was another thought in the back of his mind telling him to forget about the code of honor. This was still a normal vampire girl. No. She was more than that. She was the potential savior for all vampires. Cross organization was created to preserve the balance between humans and vampires so that they may happily live amongst each other. So taking out the last hope for the continuation of vampire life would be destroying all the organization has worked for.

Before Keitaro could ponder on this any longer, he heard the sounds of other men. He sat up and looked towards the library to see seven men approaching the building. All of them were wearing body armor and helmets with the Cross organization emblem on the forehead. Each was loaded to the teeth with flashbang, E.S riffles, and ammunition.

_Dammit,_ Keitaro thought, standing up and reaching for his weapon. _Father must have gotten tired of waiting for us. I can't just let them kill that girl. There has to be a way of getting her out of there without them finding out._

He couldn't believe he was thinking of helping the enemy. If his father were to find out what he was doing he would be killed. But Keitaro was finally following his heart and doing what was right. At least, he hoped he was right.

Meanwhile, down in the vampire library, Kanon, Anju, and Elda had gone through almost every book that they could and still found nothing having to do with bringing a vampire out of hibernation. Every once and a while, Boogy would make a comment about how pointless all of this was, but Kanon was more than determined to find the book. Finally, Elda hit the jackpot.

"Here it is!" Elda exclaimed, picking up a small book. "This is exactly what we're looking for."

Kanon was about to go over and look at the book but Anju grabbed a hold of her arm. When Kanon looked over to her aunt she was a little bit startled to see that Anju had a look of pure horror on her face.

"They know we're here," Anju said softly. Anju was of course talking about the soldiers who had just broke down the doors of the library. She had been using her bats to keep an eye out. What the bats saw was anything but good. "They're going to burn the library down."

"What!" Kanon exclaimed.

"Kanon, take this," Elda instructed, handing her the book. "Anju, take Kanon and get her out of here. Bring her back to the mansion."

"No," Anju said firmly. "I'm going to help you, Grandma."

"I think I can make it back to the mansion by myself," Kanon said, trying to sound brave even though she was scared out of her mind.

Elda and Anju exchanged glances. They knew that this was the only way. It would take both of them to hold of the soldiers. Without saying another word, all three of them started up the stairs.

Upstairs the soldiers had split up and were pouring gasoline all over the bookshelves. Yukio was watching from from the center of the library with a smug look on his face. He was just pissed off that he hadn't come up with the idea first.

"If the vampire is really hiding in this library," one of the soldiers said, "she can stay here and burn with the rest of the books."

"We're going to need proof that we killed her, idiots!" Yukio yelled.

"Don't worry," the soldier responded. "We'll let you look through the remains of the building for her body. It'll probably be the only thing you get right tonight."

Fortunately, none of the soldiers were near the vampire door. Elda instructed Kanon to find the nearest opening and get out of the building as quickly and quietly as possible. Then, she and Anju took off towards the soldiers. They planned to stop distract them for as long as possible. At least long enough for Kanon to get away. After all, Kanon was the main one they wanted.

Anju immediately summoned a ton of her bats to the library. Like a plague, the bats broke through the windows and flew into the building. It definitely was enough to get everyone's attention. All of the soldiers immediately pulled out their riffles and opened fire upon the flying rats. The only one who didn't draw his weapon was Yukio, who remained standing in the center of the library.

"Looks like the vampires want to play," he said gruffly. Instead of looking up at the bats, he started scanning the library. "Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Since the rest of the soldiers were so distracted by the vermin overhead, Elda was able to sneak up behind one of them. Using her umbrella she swung at the head of the soldier, knocking him unconscious. She repeated the action two more times on other soldiers before Yukio spotted her. They caught eye contact and Yukio gave her a toothy smile before reaching for his gun and firing off a few rounds. Elda moved quickly, taking cover behind a bookshelf.

"You are definitely not the half-vampire. This should be much more fun."

"Aren't you worried that you'll alert the cops with all the noise your making?" Elda asked sweetly, taking off behind another bookshelf.

"My dear vampire, cross organization has a higher authority than the police. They won't come even if we dropped a bomb in here."

At the same time, Kanon had made it behind the librarian's desk and into her office. There was a window in the office that she opened and climbed out of and onto the grass. She was more scared that she had ever been in her life. It was not only for her life, but that of her great grandma and her aunt. But she didn't dare look back. She was about to take off down the street and away from the library when she heard a voice that made her heart stop in her chest.

"Hold still!" a man said from behind her.

One of the soldiers had posted up outside waiting for her to try and sneak out. She was so stupid that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. The soldier was hold the riffle pointed straight at her and had a look of pride in his face. As he started to squeeze the trigger, he thought in his mind about the paycheck he would get after bringing the half-blood down. However he was never able to fire off the round. Before he could fully pull the trigger, somebody came up behind him and swept his feet out from under him. He was the hit in the head by the butt of a pistol, knocking him unconscious. He never saw who it was.

"I told you to stay away from me, Kanon," the young man said, coming up behind Kanon. She spun around to see Keitaro standing in front of her. "I told you that more hunters would come for you and you didn't listen."

"I'm sorry," Kanon said nervously.

She was terrified that she was going to get killed by Keitaro. But his pistol remained at his side. Unlike last time, he wasn't trying to kill her. She didn't understand why and wasn't about to ask him.

"I don't want to kill you, Kanon," he said calmly. "I am going against orders helping you. So if you don't want me to kill you, I suggest you do as I say and get out of here."

Keitaro turned his back on her and started to walk off. For some reason though, Kanon stopped him.

"Wait," she said immediately. He stopped but didn't turn back around. She didn't care though. "I just wanted things to go back to normal. I didn't want all this."

"You're stupid if you think you can fight it," he replied without even looking at her. "You have a destiny to fulfill and yet your trying to get yourself killed."

"What destiny are you talking about?" Kanon asked.

He was silent at first. The only sounds came from the gunfire inside the library and the flapping of wings. It was very nerve racking.

"I really don't know yet," he replied finally. "Go home, Kanon. Stop putting your family through so much pain and hope that we never have to cross paths again."

Kanon didn't wait any longer and ran off down the street. Keitaro never looked back at her. He wished that would be the last time that he would ever have to see her, but he knew deep down that their paths would cross again very very soon.

* * *

There you go. I don't know if I want to continue the action scene or just continue the story but I've got a feeling that I'm going to get a few letters and reviews for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and can't wait for reviews. Your reviews give me ideas when continuing the story.


	28. Embarrassment 27

Embarrassment 27: Little Book

* * *

"Aren't you getting bored of this hide and seek game yet?" Elda called out from behind a bookshelf.

"Why would I get bored, Vampire?" Yukio said, reloading another clip into his weapon before taking off in her direction. "I'm having so much fun. In fact, lets make things even more interesting. What do you say, Vampire?"

With that, Yukio reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He quickly lit it and tossed it onto the gasoline soaked books, instantly catching them on fire. The flames spread quickly as smoke filled up the room, making it harder to see. The smoke didn't seem to phase Yukio, but it was a major irritant to Elda's vampiric senses.

"It's not good lighting a fire when your soldiers are passed out amongst the books," Elda commented.

Elda was telling the truth. Both her and Anju together had incapacitated all seven of the soldiers and six of them were still in the building that was now on fire. Anju had then taken off to find Kanon, leaving Elda alone to deal with Yukio. She was doing the job well and keeping Yukio distracted.

"If those idiots can't protect their own ass, they have no use to me," Yukio commented. He caught another glimpse of Elda behind the flames of the fire and shot another bullet in her direction. It missed her by inches. "You know, Vampire, even if you manage to get away from me tonight, I'll keep hunting you down until every last one of the Maaka clan is dead. As far as I'm concerned, vampires are nothing more than a nuisance on this planet. They all deserve to be killed."

"That sounds funny coming from the man who works for a company that protects the balance between vampires and humans."

Yukio laughed. "Cross Organization just allows me to kill beasts like you without breaking the law. When I take over the company, I will make sure all vampires are killed."

"It's too bad you will never see that position of authority." Elda dodged a few more well aimed bullets and made her way over to the window. "Well this game was fun, but I have to run, Sweetie. I hope we can play again someday."

Before Yukio could get off any more rounds, Elda jumped out the window and disappeared into the night. Yukio didn't bother to chase her down. Instead he stood amongst the burning books with his all to famous evil look in his eye. Whistling a gentle tune he put away his weapon and walked out of the burning library to where his brother was sitting right where he left him.

"Did you get what you came for, Brother?" Keitaro asked.

"No thanks to you. The little demons think that they're so slick." He pulled out a small hand held computer and showed it to his brother. "For a vampire, that Elda Marker is not that bright. She must have thought that I was trying to hit her with my bullets. But I've gotten just close enough to toss this small tracking beacon on her. Now I can find the mansion along with the rest of the vampires."

"Congratulations, Brother," Keitaro said in a monotone voice.

"You might as well go home, Brother," Yukio continued. "I'll take out the demons by myself. No doubt, you'll still be able to get all the credit with your father, so don't worry."

"Forget that. Somebody has to make sure you don't screw things up."

"Fine...Stick around and watch a master at work. But I swear if you get in my way, I'll kill you and make it look like an accident."

Yukio pulled Keitaro up to his feet and they walked off, letting the library burn down. They decided to wait a few days before attacking the Maakas. No rush after all. That meant that Elda was able to go home in peace. It turned out that both Kanon and Anju had snuck in through their windows and nobody was aware that they had left. But when Elda entered the mansion and put her umbrella away, Carrera was there waiting for her.

"Where were you?" Carrera asked.

"I thought I would check out a book," Elda teased before heading down into the basement.

Kanon didn't go to sleep the entire night. Instead she sat up all night reading the small book that she had brought home. It was amazing to say the least. The book was written about none other than the history of the Pushuke. It was all the book was about and spoke about Sophia, who was to be considered as the savior for all vampires over a thousand years ago. She was the first blood producer and considered a freak amongst all other vampires. All except one who, and this surprised Kanon, was a vampire of the Marker clan.

This Marker vampire found out long ago that Sophia's blood had many properties, the most common was bringing fertility amongst vampires, who were sterile. Sophia fell in love with Kanon's great great grandfather and gave her blood to him so that he may have children. In return, he promised that he would marry and have children with her. But other vampire clans tried to take the blood by force, taking her away from the Marker and holding her against her will.

Marker wouldn't stand for it and chased after Sophia. But it was too late. Sophia was forcefully bitten by all of the rivaling vampire clans and did not have enough blood to survive. The clans now had fertility but it was not permanent and the effects would soon wear off. Only the Marker vampire, who had been given the blood by Sophia herself, would forever be fertile. Marker stayed with Sophia until she died and she promised him that his family line would someday have a chance to do what she could not.

Kanon realized that she was that person. From reading the book, she understood why her blood multiplied. Her blood was sacred amongst all vampires. With it, she had the ability to save the dying vampire race. That was what Keitaro was telling her. She had a destiny to fulfill. It was the whole reason for her existence.

Kanon didn't know what to think of it. All she knew was that the book spoke of another property of her blood. With it, she could bring a vampire out of hibernation. The book said that there were some children born from vampires that had all the genes of vampires, but had all the traits of a human. A Pushuke's blood could awaken those vampire genes. So all Kanon had to do was give her blood to her mother. Easier said than done. The only way that Kanon could give her blood to her mother was bite her. But that meant she would have to talk with Karin about this.

_"You don't want to bite her, do you?"_ Kenta asked, sitting on Kanon's bed and looking down at the book.

"It's not that, Papa," Kanon replied honestly. "It's just that I didn't think about if this is Moma wants."

_"You could always ask her. There is no harm in doing that."_

"But what if she says no? I feel too embarrassed asking her."

_"You went through all the trouble finding this book. I know you're strong enough to ask her. Karin loves you, so I know she'll want to stay with you."_

Kanon thought it over in her head before putting down the book and exiting the room. She walked next door to Karin's room and knocked on it gently. She knew that if she didn't get up the courage to ask her mother now, she would never be able to ask her again. This was her chance to show a little bravery.

"Mama," Kanon said, knocking again.

"Kanon? Come in," Karin said.

Kanon opened the door and she and her father entered the room. After Kenta died, Karin moved into the Maaka mansion and many things from her old house was moved here as well. Kanon immediately noticed the family pictures of Kenta and Karin sitting on the dresser and felt sad for her mother. She desperately wished that Karin could see that her husband was in the room with her right now. Kanon took a seat next to her mother on the bed while Kenta sat on the floor. To be honest, Kanon felt even more nervous about asking her mother with her father sitting in front of her, watching her.

"Um, Mama?" Kanon said softly, blushing slightly. "Are you happy now that you're a human?"

Karin was caught off guard by her question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well...I, um... found a way to make you a real vampire like Grandma and Anju."

"How did you find this out?"

"It doesn't matter Mama. I just wanted to be the one to tell you that there may be a way for you to become a vampire again...Then...well then...Just maybe...You won't have to be lonely anymore."

Kanon glanced up at her father, expecting support, but Kenta was silent, watching and waiting for his wife to respond. Karin was at a lose for words. She knew how hard it was for her daughter to come into the room and tell her this. But she didn't know what to say. She had a life and a job outside in the human world. But on the other hand, everyone that she loved was a part of the vampire world, including her daughter.

Finally, after a few moments of silence. Karin said, "If it will let me live with you forever, Kanon, of course I'll do it."

Kenta nodded in appreciation.


	29. Embarrassment 28

Embarrassment 28: Karin

* * *

Kanon almost teared up when her mother said okay to the idea. It was even harder not to burst into tears when Karin gave her a hug. Her mother was completely fine with becoming a vampire as long as it meant that she didn't have to say goodbye to her daughter. Kanon was all she had left in the world and she knew Kanon would never be truly peaceful in the human world, so Karin was willing to make due with the vampire world.

Kanon knew what she must do next. Just thinking about it made her usually small fangs grow in size. She was at a perfect spot to do it as well. She closed her eyes and sunk both of her pearly whites into Karin's neck. Karin jumped a little at first, but didn't stop hugging her daughter. She had bitten many people in her day and it had crossed her mind as to what it felt like for people like Kenta to get bitten by her, however she never thought that she would end up getting bitten one day herself. Especially not by her own daughter.

She really couldn't describe the feeling. It wasn't painful like she expected it to be. She could actually feel Kanon's warm blood flowing into her system. In her mind, it was like she was forming a bond with her daughter. A part of her daughter was combining with her blood.

Kanon didn't drink any blood, so she did feel quite light headed after draining some of her blood into Karin. Her fangs retracted back inside her gums and she almost fell over trying to stand up. Karin quickly caught her.

"I'll be fine, I swear," Kanon reassured her. She looked her mother over for a few seconds, before making the assumption. "It looks like it didn't work."

Kanon wasn't far from the truth. Apart from the two pinholes in the side of her neck, Karin didn't look any different. Kanon was expecting something. Anything. But after a moment or two, she knew that it didn't work. Her mother was still basically a normal human being.

"That's okay," Karin said softly, obviously upset herself. "You know, my entire life, when I was an un-vampire, I always wanted to be a normal vampire like the rest of my family. I would have given up everything if it meant that I could stay with Mama, Papa, and Anju. But I always knew that that day would never come."

"I'm sorry, Mama," Kanon said before running out of the room.

Kenta quickly got up and followed his daughter to her room where she slammed the door and went over to the bed crying. She had hoped to god that this would have worked. It would be the only reason she would ever bite her own mother. Kenta didn't even say anything to cheer her up and she realized that he had disappeared again. It didn't matter though. She had been up all night and the loss of blood was unbearable. The next thing she knew, she had passed out on the bed.

Karin also went to bed shortly after. During her sleep she had a dream of her being with her family. Kenta, Kanon, and the rest of the Maaka family were there, and they were happy. She couldn't remember a time in her life where everyone in her family had ever been genuinely happy. She always seemed to be a problem for everyone in the family, including Kenta. Even when she had her memory wiped there was never true happiness. It was because of what she was. Even now that she called herself a human, her entire family was vampire. Sometimes she wished that she could erase her families memories of her so that they could be happy.

When Karin awoke around noon, she was surprised that she was still so exhausted. It wasn't even the fact that she was tired but it felt like it was the dead of night for her. But her dream seemed to give her motivation. She decided that since the food stocks in the house were slowly dwindling, Karin would head out to the store and buy more food. She was getting tired of waiting for the hunters to leave anyway. It had been a week now so her chances of running into them now was highly unlikely.

However, when Karin left the house she was surprised by how bright it was outside. Maybe it was because she had spent the last week in a dark house, but the light seemed to hurt her eyes. She wished that she had a pair of sunglasses to block out the sun. Besides that, it was quite a warm day. As soon as Karin's eyes adjusted to the light, she headed off for the store.

Things seemed to get better while Karin was shopping at the grocery store. She was looking through the canned foods when she happened to bump into an old friend. She quickly bowed, appoligizing for running into the person, when she realized it was none other than her high school friend, Maki Tokitou.

"Maki?"

"Karin?" Maki responded before giving Karin a huge hug. "Oh my god. Karin! It's been so many years. I thought you left town."

The truth was that after Karin had her memory wiped of ever being a vampire, she had been hidden from many of her friends, including Maki. It was just easier that way, just in case Maki were ever to ask about Karin's family.

"I can't believe it's you, Maki," Karin said. "Are you still living around here?"  
"No, I'm was visiting mother for the weekend. I moved away a couple years ago. What about you? Are you still with Usui?" Karin fell silent and Maki suddenly felt bad for asking. "Oh, I'm sorry, Karin. I guess it just didn't work out between you two."

"Oh no, it's not that," Karin said, shaking her head. "Kenta died in a car wreck just a week ago. I'm still grieving him being gone."

"I'm...sorry to hear that. I know how much you loved him, Karin." She immediately tried to change the subject. "So why didn't you keep in touch after high school ended? I thought you and I were best friends."

"It's not because I didn't want to, Maki," Karin said. "I was just to busy and completely forgot to call you. I'm sorry. But maybe we can hang out sometime."

"Well...I'd love to. But I'm going back home tomorrow. I moved out of the city a couple years ago because I was offered a great job. Sorry, Karin."

"That's okay," Karin said, feeling a bit down.

"Well it was nice seeing you again, Karin," Maki said, walking off.

When Karin finished her grocery shopping, she was given another unpleasant surprise upon leaving the store. For some reason, the sun still seemed way too bright and it was absolutely burning Karin's eyes to be out in it. Even more so, it felt like the temperature outside had risen to a blistering temp. That wouldn't be so weird if it weren't for the fact that there were people going into the store wearing long sleeved shirts while Karin felt like she was going to die in the heat.

_This is just too weird,_ Karin thought to herself as she walked back home quickly with the bags in her hands.

It wasn't until Karin noticed that other people were staring at her that she felt something was very wrong. She quickly found a dark alley because the heat outside was way too much for her to handle. That was when she finally got to see her own reflection. In the window of an old house Karin was able to see why other people had been staring at her. Her bright blue eyes were now a very dark red and looked like cat's eyes more than humans. Not only that, but Karin's skin seemed to be blistering from the sunlight. It looked like Karin had just ran through a burning house. Her skin was burnt red and there was steam coming off of her.

It didn't take long before Karin noticed that she had fangs poking out of her gums. It was no doubt that she was a vampire. Kanon's blood had reacted with her own, turning on her vampiric attributes. It had just taken a bit longer for the effect. But this explained why Karin was so tired. She was finally the thing that she had always wished she could be. Karin was a real vampire. But there was a problem. Since the sun was out, it was dangerous for Karin to be outside. The sun wasn't burning her to a crisp yet but she didn't know how long it would be before she became a full vampire and burst into flames from the sunlight.

"I have to get home now," Karin said softly.

She decided to just sprint the last bit of the way home, hoping that she wouldn't die. It wasn't easy and she barely made it to the vampire barrier. But something strange happened that she didn't expect. The moment she was near the bat barrier, all the bats came down and formed a cloud over her head, blocking out the sunlight. One bat even came down and landed on Karin's shoulder. She was even more surprised when the bat whispered in her ear to hurry back to the mansion.

_Did that bat just speak to me?_ Karin wondered.

For the first time ever, when Karin opened up the door to the Maaka mansion, she could see perfectly inside. Her eyes felt so much better being in the pitch blackness rather than being outside. Karin was so happy. She was experiencing the world in a completely different way. She could finally be with her family and be happy. Upstairs, Kenta was sitting in Kanon's room, watching his daughter sleep with a smile on his face. He already knew that Kanon's blood had changed Karin. He was just one step closer to his goal.


	30. Embarrassment 29

Embarrassment 29: A Message

* * *

Yukio had spent the entire day celebrating on his victory over the vampire clan. He thought that he was so smart, throwing the tracking beacon on Elda when she had her back turned. He decided to give the vampires a couple of days off before he assaulted their home when they least expected it. He had plans as to what he was going to do to each and every member of the household, especially Kanon. The way he saw it, Kanon was the last hope for vampire kind. He wanted to enjoy it as he took away their last hope by force.

Keitaro just watched his brother with disrespect. He still was against killing the Pushuke, but he would never cross his brother. Later in the night after he saved Kanon from being shot, he made a vow to protect Kanon from anyone, including his father. He still didn't understand why Cross organization wanted Kanon killed but it couldn't be because she was a half-blood. But if he was going to break orders and protect this young girl, he was going to have to do it in silence. Nobody, not even the savior of vampires was worth getting killed for. At least not in his eyes. If anyone from the organization even got so much as a whiff of him breaking orders, he would immediately kill the half-vampire himself.

As night slowly fell, Keitaro thought out his plans in the corner of the room while his older brother partied with alcohol and women. He had to find a way of getting to that tracking beacon before his brother found the mansion. No doubt, Yukio had more than one tracking device. But he was so thick headed, he probably hadn't thought to even look at the Maaka's location yet. He had to do it during the day. Then the Maaka's would be asleep inside their coffins, making it a slight bit easier to get in and out unnoticed.

Even though Yukio was drunker than all hell, he still couldn't help but notice how quiet his brother was being. It didn't take a genius to realize that the wheels in Keitaro's head were slowly turning. Yukio, being the ass of a brother he was, had to go over and mess with his brother.

"chu been thinkin bout so much, bro?" Yukio asked in a very slurred tone, as he stumbled over to the couch where Keitaro sat and basically fell down onto it. Eight beers was more than enough to push him past thinking straight. "Oh I know. Ur tinkin bout dat one girl. What's er name agin? Kanun?"

"You seem to think that I give a rat's ass about her, Yukio," Keitaro said angrily. "I don't care about her."

"Den you don't mind if I kill er, do you?"

"Go right ahead. But at this point, can you even stand?"

Yukio laughed, but tried to stand up. It was quite a sight and looked like he was standing on water. He used the couch to help steady himself. "See. I standin just fine."

"Well you sure showed me wrong, Yukio," Keitaro said sarcastically.

He got up from the couch and grabbed his coat.

"Where you goin?" Yukio asked.

"Out."

"Oh right. S'about dat time again, isn't it?"

"Shut the hell up!" Keitaro said, pulling out his gun and pointing it at his brother. His brother just stared at the gun. "I'm fine, okay. It's not that. Enjoy your party and let me handle my own business."

Keitaro holstered his weapon and walked out of the hotel room without so much as another word. The three girls that were in the room watched him go with fear in their eyes. Once Keitaro had shut the door behind him, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the small device. With a little slight of hand, he had managed to grab the tracking device from his brother. Yukio was so drunk that it would take him a whole day to just realize that the tracking device wasn't on him anymore. The whole pulling out the gun thing was just for show.

But in all honesty, Yukio talking about "that day" again made Keitaro uncomfortable. Drunk or not, Yukio was not supposed to bring it up. He liked to pretend like it never happened. But that day was just around the corner and no matter how much he denied it, it would happen. And he would have to deal with it and move on with life.

Since it was nightfall, Keitaro came up with another plan for getting rid of the beacon. He turned on the tracking device and on the circular screen as red dot flashed. The dot obviously represented where the tracking beacon was. As long as he was following the dot, the bats could not confuse him and make him walk in circles. He would even be able to figure out where the holes in the barrier were. He headed off in the direction of the beacon.

Meanwhile at the Maaka mansion, Kanon had finally woken up. Giving up her own blood without having any blood to take in herself probably wasn't the safest thing for her to do. She awoke in the middle of the night feeling extremely light headed. For the moment, she had completely forgotten about biting her mother. She quickly took a shower and went downstairs to find her mother, wide awake, sitting on the couch between Anju and Elda. When Karin saw her enter the room, she ran over to her daughter and gave her a hug.

"You did it, Kanon," Karin said, happily. "It worked. I'm a real vampire now."

Kanon was a little dumbfounded. It took her a moment to process the information before she smiled. "It really worked?"

In the little light there was, Kanon could just make out the fangs that were sticking out of Karin's mouth. Her mother was telling the truth. It had taken a little longer than Kanon had first thought it would, but the blood that was in Karin's system had reacted to her daughter's blood. She could now see perfectly in the dark along with other vampiric attributes. In fact Kanon's blood had awaken every vampiric ability in Karin.

"So what else did you learn from the book, Kanon dear?" Elda asked, looking back at her.

"I learned about our history with the Pushukes," Kanon replied. "Is it true that great great grandpa tried to save a Pushuke from the other clans?"

"Yes it is. It may have been the reason why my dear James had me flee here to Japan with him. He was trying to escape his father's past."

"It's also the reason that I had to get married to Henry," Carrera said, glancing over. "Our family gave birth to the Pushukes."

"I thought you married me because you loved me?" Henry whined.

Carrera just laughed. Kanon was a bit confused. It seemed like everything had planned out just for the purpose of having a child like her. She wasn't fond of talking about Pushukes so lightly, seeing as she was one. She didn't want to think that she was destined to bring life to all of the vampires in the world.

"Little niece," Anju said, standing up, "Since you bit Big Sister, how are you feeling."

"I'm a little light headed, but I'll be fine." Even though she said that, she could feel everyone's eyes on her. She knew exactly what Anju was trying to say before she opened her mouth. "I really don't have to drink more blood, do I?"

"Just enough to get your strength back," Anju replied.

"But what about the hunters?"

"I'll have my bats watch over you."

"Don't worry, Kanon," Elda said, laughing, "those stupid hunters don't stand a chance against your great grandma."

Sighing, Kanon turned heels and walked out of the room to go get some shoes on. Outside, Keitaro had already passed the barrier and was approaching the house. He was surprised by how close the mansion was. If Yukio knew about this, he would probably go crazy. Keitaro doubted that any of the Maakas would see him coming because they probably didn't expect their barrier to ever be breached. It was all for the better because he didn't want them to know of his presence. All he had was a written note and was going to leave it for them. It would be up to the Maaka clan to find the beacon themselves then destroy it.

The entire Maaka family was inside the family room and would never have seen Keitaro coming. They completely missed him putting the envelope under their door before walking off. But young Kanon was walking down the staircase with her shoes on right when the letter was pushed under the door. She immediately ran to the window to see Keitaro take off towards the bat barrier. How did he manage to find the house? She wanted to follow him and see where he was going. She had some questions that she wanted answered.

"I'm going now," She called out to the rest of the Maaka's.

* * *

Sorry for reposting the chapter. I HAD to get rid of the line in the center. Btw, I hope you realize that the next chapter ends part 3 so I plan for something big as always. If you can guess it before I post send a review. I'll give you a hint, it has to do with Keitaro.


	31. Embarrassment 30

Embarrassment 30: That Day

Keitaro left the vampire barrier quickly before anyone had a chance of noticing him. He really didn't care so much about the Maaka mansion. He had broken into so many vampiric homes in the past that this was no different. But Keitaro was so preoccupied that an expert hunter like him was completely ignorant to the fact that he was being followed. Young Kanon was only a few meters behind him.

Kanon knew that following the hunter was suicidal. The hunter wanted her more than the rest of the Maaka family after all. She didn't feel like this hunter felt any different about her either. He had saved her life last night but threatened her just seconds later. At any time, he could easily kill her. But something in the back of her mind was telling her to follow Keitaro. That he would be the only one who could give Kanon the information she needed.

Keitaro happened to be extremely preoccupied with something. He was almost hit by the bus as he walked across the street, distracted. He head felt like it was burning and he felt extremely dizzy. So much so that after he crossed the street he had to sit down on the bench at the buss stop to get his bearing.

_Damn it, Keitaro, get a hold of yourself, _he thought, shaking the pain from his head. _What day is it anyway. It's way too early._

Kanon sat in the shadow of the tree watching Keitaro with sympathy in her eyes. She really thought that Keitaro was a handsome guy. Kanon caught herself staring at Keitaro's short black hair that barely reached his eyebrows. His dark brown eyes seemed to shine in the street light. There was a lot of sadness in Keitaro's face, like a man who had the world thrown on his shoulders and didn't know what to do.

_What am I thinking,_ Kanon wondered, quickly regaining her thoughts. _He pointed a gun at me and all I can think about is how he looks._

Keitaro looked up at the vending machine that was near the bus stop. Maybe a cold coke would take away the dizziness he felt. He felt like a man who had just gotten off a merry-go-round as he stumbled over to the machine, reaching into his pocket for the 110 yen and buying the coke. He took a sip of the drink but it didn't seem to help.

Without even finishing the drink, Keitaro threw the rest of the drink away and walked off down the street. As far as Kanon could tell, Keitaro still looked like he was in pain by the was he was walking off-balance. She wondered if even he knew where he was going. He started by walking on the sidewalk, stumbled halfway into the empty street (It was late at night after all), then walking into the park. Kanon was curious and continued to follow him, not caring about the consequences.

Keitaro barely went anywhere into the park before sitting on yet another bench. The dizziness in his head was getting worse. It felt like the whole world was spinning and it made him want to puke.

_This is a load of bull,_ Keitaro thought. _I felt just fine when I left the hotel. Yukio, that idiot, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be out here right now.__ Now I have to take care of this before I go back._

Keitaro was used to this happening to him, even though he hated it. He considered it as his one and only weakness. As a vampire hunter, he did not want to admit any weaknesses. Ever couple of weeks, he would feel lightheaded. And it always seemed to happen at random and unexpected times. He blamed it on the sights and smells that were outside. If he didn't take care of it soon, the problem would get worse. He would just have to take care of it and get on with his life.

"Thank god my brother will be too drunk to remember this," Keitaro said, snickering to himself. "Last thing I need is for him to make fun of me for this. In fact, tonight should be perfect, there is not many people out here."

Keitaro stumbled to his feet and walked off down the path, deeper into the forest. Kanon wondered if she should keep following him. She was hoping that Keitaro would lead her somewhere important. Actually, she really didn't know why she was following him. After seeing him within the Maaka barrier, Kanon had a voice telling her to follow him. She wasn't sure what she would get by following him but was surprised by how interesting he was. The young half-blood continued to follow Keitaro deeper into the park just out of shear interest in seeing what he was going to do.

She managed to stay a good distance away from Keitaro so that he didn't notice her. But he seemed to preoccupied with finding something. Or at least that was what she thought he was doing. He kept walking past the very few people in the park, scanning them over. It felt like he was looking for something or even someone.

The problem was that Kanon had gotten so preoccupied with watching Keitaro that she didn't pay attention to anything else. While running out from behind the tree she accidentally bumped into a tall man.

"I'm sorry," Kanon said, looking up at the man.

She was a slight startled by the fact that the man was wearing a white part mask that covered the upper half of his face. He had oily brown hair and was missing one tooth. He probably had just left a party. Kanon could smell alcohol on his breath.

"That's okay, cutie," the man said, grabbing hold of her wrist.

"Hey. What are you doing," Kanon asked, trying to pull her hand out of his grip. "Let go of me."

"Relax, little girl. I'm just so lonely and wanted somebody to talk to."

"I said, 'let go of me," Kanon said slightly more nervous. She continued to try and wrench her small wrists out of his grip but he wasn't letting go.

"You're really pretty girl," the guy said leaning in closer to her. She could smell his disgusting breath on her as he eyed her like an object. "I would love it if you came and talked with me."

"Get away from me your pervert!"

She had raised her voice a little bit more now, hoping to get through to the jerk. She knew what was going through his little brain. He wanted more than just to talk.

"Stop fighting so much," the man continued, tightening his grip of her small wrists. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I said no!" Kanon yelled.

"Hey dumb ass," a familiar voice said from behind Kanon. She turned her head around to see Keitaro standing just feet away. "Why don't you let the girl go."

"Beat it, Hotshot," the man replied. "We're talking here."

Keitaro, being almost six inches taller than Kanon, looked at the man with fire in his eyes. Kanon herself felt scared of the hunter, so she bet that the drunk was feeling just the same. But the idiot was still pushing his luck.

"You trying to pick a fight, Hotshot," the man replied again, pushing Kanon to the ground out of his way. "I said get the hell out of here."

Without warning, the drunk took a step towards Keitaro and swung out his fist, planning to hit him square in the nose. But without warning, Keitaro moved quickly and grabbed his fist mid swing. The drunk was surprised but swung his other hand only to be blocked by him.

"Scum like you make me sick," Keitaro said, squeezing the mans fist.

The hunter made sure he felt the pain but refused to let go, even though the drunk was twisting in his grip.

"Let go of me, man," the drunk said, trying to pry his hand free. "I swear I'll kick your ass."

"Really?" Keitaro said, squeezing harder.

The drunk tried one last time to punch him but Keitaro had already swung out his own fist. He hit the drunk in the side of the head with enough force that he knocked him out. The drunk's mask flew off his face and bounced around on the ground. He fell in a heap on the ground. Kanon just stared at the man silently, unsure of what to say.

"Thank..." she started.

"Why are you following me around, Kanon?" Keitaro said, holding his head with one hand. It was clear that he was still feeling very light headed.

"I wasn't...following..." she muttered, trying to defend herself.

"If you weren't following me, then what the hell would you be doing in the middle of the park on a Tuesday night?"

Kanon didn't know how to respond. She wasn't the best at coming up with stories. So she decided to tell the truth.

"I saw you leaving the barrier and I thought I would see how you were doing," Kanon said softly. "I just wanted to say thank you for last night."

She slowly got to her feet and was surprised when Keitaro extended his hand for her. She reached for it and was surprised by how warm his hand was. He pulled her to her feet and she patted the dirt off of her clothing.

"I don't need you following me around, Kanon," he continued. "You still don't seem to realize that I'm the bad guy here. I'm supposed to kill you. Do you understand what that means, Kanon."

She was startled with him talking about killing her right after saving her again from yet another guy. For some reason though, she wasn't afraid of him.

"If you were going to kill me, then why don't you?" Kanon asked.

She was definitely pushing her luck right now. _Just walk away, Kanon. Just turn around and walk away._

Keitaro didn't feel like explaining himself to her. His head was hurting way too much for this. He wanted to get rid of her right away. He wasn't about to let somebody see him in a state like this. It was way too embarrassing.

"Listen Kanon," he groaned, trying to keep his balance. "I promised that I would protect you from my brother. But I'm not about to compromise my own life. I'm just waiting for my stupid brother to get bored of hunting you down so that we can return home and get on with life. You aren't making this easy by being here. So, I'll ask you nicely. Please get out of her Kanon."

"But..."

"I said get out!" Keitaro said, quite annoyed.

Kanon glared at Keitaro one last time before turning and running off down the path. Keitaro didn't watch her go. His head was hurting way to much. He stared down at the drunk passed out at his feet. Something about this guy was causing Keitaro's body to act the way it was. Who would have thought. The hunter smiled. Now that he had managed to get rid of Kanon, he was free to do what he came here to do.

Unfortunately, Kanon didn't go that far before stopping and turning around. She had realized that her cellphone was no longer in her pocket. She thought that maybe it had fallen out when she was pushed to the ground. She really didn't feel like pushing her luck with Keitaro, but she needed to get her phone back before that drunken idiot woke up and took it from her. Sighing she ran back to the spot to grab her phone.

But she had hardly made it fifty feet before she stopped in her tracks. She couldn't believe her eyes. Keitaro was still in the same place as before. But he was sitting on the ground and holding the drunk's head. She knew exactly was going on the second she saw Keitaro wrap his arm around the man. She saw him lean in close to the man and sniff him like an animal smelling its meal. She could make out the two fangs in Keitaro's mouth as they slowly grew in length. She saw him sink those fangs deep into the neck of the man. She could even smell the scent of sweet blood in the air. A simple smell that only a vampire's nose would be able to pick up.

"Keitaro...is a vampire?"

* * *

And with that, I'm glad to say that part 3 is finally over and all I can say is, Surprise! I've been planning this ever since I introduced the Cross brothers into the story and I'm pretty glad how it turned out. I do have to say, this part of the story was a lot harder to write. I do have to say, if your still reading this story after thirty chapters I've got to give you mad props. I actually expected this story to fall in the hole before chapter 8. But I do have a request. Since I have so many people reading this story now and I have finished the first half of the story, I'd like a small review or comment from you all as to how you think the story is going so far.

I don't care if you didn't like some parts but I like hearing about it so that I know what to do differently in future chapters. I plan to keep writting right away instead of waiting but please post me a review. Thank you.


	32. Embarrassment 31

Embarrassment 31: Together Until Sunrise

* * *

Keitaro didn't notice Kanon standing in front of him till after he had finished drinking the blood of the man and sat there for a few moments in euphoria. Kanon knew all to well how good it felt to drink another person's blood. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Keitaro, the hunter who had saved her life twice, was none other than a vampire himself. She didn't know what to do or say. Instead she watched in amazement and confusion as Keitaro enjoyed his meal.

Keitaro may have looked like he was in a state of happiness, but the moment he opened his eyes and saw that young Kanon was standing just a few meters away staring at him with gaping eyes, he lost all happy feelings. He didn't move a muscle at first and stared Kanon down like a deer caught in headlights. Somebody had just seen him bite another human, and of all people, it had to be her. Keitaro didn't know whether to shoot her or just run away. He couldn't even think of anything to say to break the tension in the air. Thankfully, Kanon was the first to speak.

"Um..." Kanon said softly, "how is this possible?"

"What are you still doing here?" Keitaro replied. "I told you to get out of here."

"I...had to...um..."

Kanon couldn't think straight. Why did she come back again? She couldn't remember. It wasn't even the fact that there was another vampire that made her speechless. It was because it was him. Even though Kanon couldn't say she knew this person well, or even at all for that matter. But she had been put in quite an awkward situation here.

Keitaro had already found his bearing though. He got to his feet and started walking off without saying anything to Kanon. It was better off not saying anything to her, because he was so pissed off that somebody else knew about him that he needed time to vent. Also, he wasn't about to kill the Pushuke over his own stupidity. It was his own fault that he got caught. He should have been more careful.

"Where you going?" Kanon asked. She had finally found her own voice.

"Why do you care?" Keitaro asked.

"I just..."

_She just doesn't know when to give up, does she?_ Keitaro thought.

"You just what?" he replied angrily, spinning around and facing her. "Shows over, Kanon. Are you happy with what you saw? Huh? You figured out the big mystery. No, I'm not a human. I'm not even a vampire. So what are you sticking around for?"

"But I..."

"But nothing. This isn't a choice for me. I didn't choose to be a freak, being the son of a vampire father and human mother. So get your laughs out now. I'm not stopping you."

Kanon couldn't understand why he was treating her like this. She hadn't done anything wrong and neither did he, for that matter. So why was he acting like he did. But for some reason, she didn't turn away and run off. She had always been a stubborn girl for her age. This was the first time she had ever met another half-vampire like her.

"Is that what you think I am?" Kanon said, a tear in her eye. "A freak?"

Keitaro was taken back by that comment. He probably said too much. Even though he was angry, he couldn't help but feel like an ass for saying the word freak in front of her.

"I guess I really am a freak," Kanon continued, barely talking above a whisper.

"I didn't mean that!" Keitaro said, still pissed off.

Kanon could feel the blood within her body boiling from the anger that was in Keitaro. But she didn't care about that. Everyone thought of her as a freak. It was the whole reason that she was being hunted down in the first place. Her very existence seemed to be all wrong in the eyes of everyone around her. Even to other half-bloods like her, she was a freak. She finally understood why she followed Keitaro. Deep down, she was hoping that he didn't see her as a monster.

"What's so wrong with half-vampires? What did I ever do to make everyone hate me so much?"

"I said I didn't mean that!" Keitaro replied again. "I said I was the freak, not you."

"But that's what you think of me, isn't it?" Kanon said, starting to cry. "You think that I'm a freak and would be better off dead."

Keitaro no longer was feeling angry. He knew exactly how Kanon felt. He had awoken as a vampire just over two years ago and could still clearly remember how much hell his life had been ever since. Not just by people around him, but his own family. Everyone had always treated him like an accident. As if his very existence was a bad idea. That was why he denied what he was. He never spoke about being a half-vampire and tried to hide his true identity from the rest of the world.

But standing a few feet in front of him was a girl who was happy with what she was. Be it because she was ignorant or because she didn't understand what the world thought of half-bloods, but she had a loving family who looked past what she was and saw her just for her personality. Keitaro had no right to make her hate herself.

Keitaro slowly walked over to the young girl and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. It was the first smile that Kanon had ever seen him give. It actually made him look more handsome. Her blood wasn't increasing anymore so she knew he wasn't angry.

"If I really thought you were a freak of nature," Keitaro said softly, "I wouldn't be protecting you. Please don't think of yourself as a freak."

Keitaro had touched Kanon's heart and she immediately broke out into tears. He held her tightly and let her cry. Keitaro had never let himself get so close to another person. Why was he doing so with this girl? What made her so different than anybody else?

_She's not such a bad person after all,_ he thought to himself.

It was then when Keitaro noticed the aroma that came off of Kanon. He couldn't help but noticed how good she smelled. She also was very cute, even though she was almost three years younger than he was. He immediately shook his head.

_What the hell am I thinking?_ Keitaro thought furiously. _This girl is your enemy, not your friend._

But was that even true? It's true that according to the Cross Organization, the Maaka clan was their enemy. However what kind of enemy would being crying in your arms? Kanon didn't see Keitaro as a threat to her life and he didn't see her as a threat to his. From the moment that he made the decision to help out the Maaka clan, Kanon was no longer considered his enemy. But he wasn't about to call her his friend. So what was she?

Kanon stopped crying after a few minutes but kept her head on Keitaro's shoulders. He was so warm and she couldn't ever remember feeling so safe with another person outside of her family. She knew deep down that Keitaro was dangerous and may decide to kill her at any time, but for the moment she didn't care. All she could think about was being with him for the moment. But it wasn't helping that her blood was increasing steadily. Keitaro may have been a half-vampire but the human side of him was making her blood boil. There was so much anger and hate built up inside of this teenager that it was almost to much for her to handle. It made his body give off the smell that made Kanon's mouth water.

She suddenly remember why she was going out in the first place. She was originally coming out to feed. But not Keitaro. His blood seemed so perfect for him and with her head resting on his shoulder, she had easy access to his neck. And that smell... It was so perfect... It made him smell better than any other person she had ever smelt. She moved her head a little bit closer and sniffed the aroma's of his blood.

_I wonder how good his blood tastes?_ Kanon thought to herself.

She had completely forgotten about the situation that she was just in. Her vampire instincts were kicking in. But it wasn't long before she came to her senses. She quickly pushed herself away from Keitaro and covered her mouth, while blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry," they both said quickly.

Kanon didn't realize at first just how long her fangs had grown. Her body ached for the taste of blood. If she would have waited for just a few more seconds, she would have sank her teeth into Keitaro's neck. The only reason her body wasn't hurting from the blood increase was because she was still at a low blood level after giving her blood to her mother. She needed to feed. Plain and simple.

"Are you okay?" Keitaro asked.

She continued to cover her fangs. The smell that was coming off of him was too strong. She wanted his blood so bad, but it wasn't a good idea. After all, Keitaro was a vampire hunter and the only person who wasn't treating her like scum.

_Why didn't I notice his smell before?_ Kanon wondered. _Of course I wouldn't have noticed it. I have never gotten so close to him before._

Keitaro was very smart and figured out what was going on with Kanon. "Is it your blood?" he asked calmly.

Kanon couldn't believe he was acting so calm about this. She just nodded, still blushing. It was way too embarrassing.

"Then we need to find you a good person to feed on," he continued.

_Wait a minute,_ Kanon thought. _What does he mean, "We." Is he really trying to help me._

Keitaro looked Kanon over. He didn't feel like playing the game of babysitter but the Pushuke having a nosebleed now was not something he wanted to deal with. He decided to help her for just this one night and this one night only as a way of saying sorry for yelling at her.

Sighing, Keitaro reached out his hand as if inviting Kanon to take hold of. This was the second time tonight that Keitaro had given her his hand. She was steady at first but after but took hold of it. He gave her a weak smile and they walked off down the path. This was the second time that she had left her cellphone and walked off, completely forgetting about it.

What neither of them had realized was that on a tree branch not to far away from where Keitaro had bitten the man, a bat was sitting there watching. Kanon had completely forgotten that Anju said she would have her bats watch over Kanon tonight. But Anju seemed to be very curious with the vampire hunter. She would never forget Keitaro's face after pointing a gun at her. But what she saw of Kanon's actions around the hunter was confusing.

_"You seem quite preoccupied with something right now, Anju,"_ Boogie said, staring Anju down from his chair in Anju's room. _"What is it that you are seeing, I wonder?"_

Boogie was telling the truth. Anju had been lying in her elegant coffin staring at the dark ceiling of the room for the past half-hour. She seemed so interested in Kanon and Keitaro. She didn't want to intervene with them just yet. Something was very curious about this hunter.

_"Hello. Earth to Anju. Can you hear me?"_

"Be quiet, Boogie," Anju muttered.

_"What do you mean be quiet? What's that brat doing that could be so interesting?"_

Anju didn't pay any mind to her doll. She wasn't planning on telling anyone about Kanon and the Keitaro just yet. Not unless she needed to. For now, she was going to keep a very close eye on the two of them.

It actually didn't take long for Kanon to find herself a good target. But being next to Keitaro for so long was murder. She could feel the blood multiplying in her body by the second. It had never been this strong before but she couldn't seem to get Keitaro's smell out of her nose. It wasn't even a bad smell either. On the contrary, the aroma that was coming off of Keitaro was like none other. Kanon couldn't remember a time when she could smell this good. It was because of all the anger that had been stored up inside of Keitaro throughout his life. It was as if he was Kanon's perfect match blood wise.

The moment Kanon found a perfect victim she didn't wait any longer. She was so eager to get this feeling out of her system. But even as she drank the blood of the woman, she couldn't help but smell Keitaro near her. Never the less, she managed to get the feeling out of her system, and using the technique from last time, erase the victim's memory without any trouble. She seemed very gifted at doing it.

The entire time, Keitaro watched her in silence. He wasn't truly paying attention to what she was doing, as he was paying attention to her. Something about her made him hate Cross Organization. They were truly planning to hunt Kanon down until she was dead. Keitaro's father may give up after a while, but Yukio will never accept failure of a mission. He would chase Kanon and the rest of the Maaka family to the ends of the earth just so he could say that he brought down the best vampire clan in the world. But as long as Yukio was hunting down Kanon, Keitaro knew that he would have to be their at Yukio's side, hunting her as well.

"It's a pity," Keitaro muttered under his breath.

Kanon's vampiric ears managed to pick up what he said. "What's a pity?" she asked, as they walked away from the girl and went to a park bench and sat down.

"It's a pity that after tonight, we will be enemies again."

"What? Why?"

"You sure are a slow one, Kanon," he replied. "You still don't seem to get that my father's company along with all the hunters in Japan are looking for you and your family."

"But we haven't done anything yet."

"I know, but what father says, goes. There aren't many vampire clans out there that like your family, Kanon. The Maaka clan is one of the last fertile vampire families in the world. Not only that, they are housing and protecting the only savior for all vampires...I'm talking about you."

"What do you mean?"

"There are many vampires out there who want to get their hands on you. With your blood, you could bring back fertility in all vampires. But your family has put up a very powerful barrier around you to protect you. They don't want what happened to your mother to happen to you, Kanon. Meanwhile, all the humans want you dead so that the vampire race loses their last hope of survival."

"But I don't want any of this..." Kanon said, staring at the ground.

"I made a vow to protect you from anything that might harm you because that is what Cross organization does. They protect the balance of vampires and humans. But I can't protect you from the world, Kanon."

"This is all too much for me. You're doing all this to help me and I hardly even know who you are." She stared up at the night sky. "I wish I wasn't the Pushuke. I really don't like the title. I really don't like it when people label me."

Keitaro smiled slightly, even though she had all this thrown on her shoulders, she still managed to have a bright outlook. "Well then, what would you like people to call you?"

"Just...Kanon," she replied, still staring up at the stars.

"Well, Just Kanon, since we never properly introduced ourselves, my name is Keitaro Cross," he joked with her.

_Since when have I ever been so nice to someone?_ he wondered.

"Kei-ta-ro," Kanon said slowly. Just then she sat up and smiled. "I know. I'll just call you Kei. It's easier that way."

"What?" Keitaro exclaimed. "Who do you think I am, your friend? No way can you call me that."

"Well...Okay," Kanon replied, giggling a bit.

_Did I miss something, or did Keitaro sound like a young boy right there?_ Kanon wondered. _Wait, how old is he?_

"Hey Keitaro. How old are you?" she asked.

"I just turned seventeen a month ago."

_Really? He seems so much older. I can't believe how young he is._

Kanon stayed next to Keitaro for the rest of the night, talking with him. Keitaro didn't quite understand himself, to anybody else in the world, Keitaro would be as mature as possible. But around Kanon, he felt like he could act his own age. He didn't know if that was good.

When the sun finally broke over the horizon, Keitaro walked Kanon back home. He stopped at the bottom of the hill, just outside the barrier. Deep down he knew he could never hunt Kanon down. He may not consider her a friend just yet, but he was glad he decided to protect her.

"By the way," Kanon said, before she left. "I was going to ask. What is your blood affinity?"

Keitaro really didn't like talking about his vampire side with anybody, including his family. But he decided just this once to answer her.

"It's the feeling to need to see other suffer," he said.

"Malice?" Kanon wondered. "I guess taking that away from someone else is a good thing."

"Yeah," he said. "I guess it is."

* * *

Hows that for an opening to part 4? This is et s not only my longest chapter so far, but also my favorite chapter to write. I'm planning to keep part 4 longer than the other parts because this will be by far the best piece of the story. Can't wait to see the reviews.

Btw if you are wondering why I have broken the story up into six parts, its because every ten chapters has to do with one centralized topic. Part 1: was Kanon's awakening, Part 2: Kanon living with the Maakas, and Part 3: Introducing the Cross brothers and making karin a vampire. Just thought you should know. So, try and guess what part 4 is


	33. Embarrassment 32

Embarrassment 32: Hard Truth

* * *

Kanon enjoyed her walk back to the mansion. By the time she had made it to her doorstep, sunlight was shining all throughout Tokyo. Kanon sighed as she looked out at the rising sun. She had officially become a night person. In fact, it had been a while since she had seen sunlight. It wasn't like it bothered her. It was just...different.

Kanon was hoping that the family would have gone to sleep by the time she entered the house. She doubted that anyone knew who she had spent the night in town with, but it wasn't worth taking the chance. Unfortunately, her aunt, Anju was waiting for her on the staircase when she opened the door. When she saw her little niece come inside the door and close it, she stood up and gave her a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Anju," Kanon said, surprised to be seeing her aunt at a time like this.

"How did it go, Little niece?" Anju asked politely.

"Oh...I found just the right person tonight," Kanon replied back warmly. "I thought you would be asleep by the time I got back, Anju."

"I wanted to stay up and make sure you made it home safe. You were out all night."

"Oh. It took me a while to find somebody to bite and then I decided to take a walk around town."

It wasn't a full lie. She was just leaving out the part that she went for a walk with none other than a vampire hunter. Anju knew this, but Kanon didn't know she knew. Luckily, Anju kept her mouth shut. She didn't want Kanon to figure out that she knew about her.

"I wanted to thank you for finally making Big sister a vampire like the rest of us," Anju said in her stoic voice. "You made her so happy."

"It was what I wanted for her," Kanon responded. "I honestly thought you would be against this."

"At one time, I didn't want this," Anju replied, honestly. "I wanted Big Sister to live a happy life in the human world with your father. But now that Usui Kenta is gone, all Big Sister has left is us."

As it turned out, both Anju and Kanon wanted the same things for Karin. They just wanted her to live a happy life. Kanon said goodnight to her aunt and went up to her room to sleep after that. Anju just watched as her niece left. She wanted to say something to Kanon about Keitaro but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Brother Ren," Anju said quietly, "I wish you were here right now. I really need your help. For Kanon's sake."

Kanon may have have been in a good mood after going home, but Keitaro wasn't in a good mood anymore. He still hadn't gone back to the hotel, where his brother was probably passed out with some girl. Instead, the young man went back to the park, to the spot where he had bitten the man. Obviously, the drunk had left by now, probably pissed off that he got his ass handed to him in one punch. Keitaro forgot to wipe the man's mind after Kanon showed up.

He didn't know why he was back at this spot. He was actually thinking about the night that he had spent with the young vampire. Keitaro hated to admit it but he actually had a good time with Kanon. It was something that surprised even him. She was still an enemy in his eyes, even though he made a vow to protect her. The only reason he was protecting her was so that she could fulfill her destiny as a Pushuke. But after spending the entire night talking with the half-vampire he didn't know how to feel anymore. He felt like there was another reason why he was protecting the girl now.

It was then when he saw a little pink cellphone lying on the ground. He picked the phone up and opened it, surprised to find out that it was Kanon's. He wondered if he should give it back to her. It would be another chance to see her after all.

_Wait a minute, _Keitaro thought angrily, _why do I want to see this girl again? I want to avoid her...don't I? She is your enemy Keitaro. You have to remember that. You can't get to close to this girl. __You have never let yourself get close to anyone._

Even as Keitaro thought this, he was doubting himself. While he was around Kanon, he was able to act like himself. He didn't have to act buff around her. And she treated him like...like a friend. Keitaro never had any friends. Nor did he ever want one. But for Kanon...it was different.

Just then, Keitaro heard a phone ring. He looked down at Kanon's cellphone and realized it wasn't her phone that was ringing. It was his. He quickly answered it.

"Hello," Keitaro said into the phone.

"Good morning, Son," Keitaro heard his father voice say. "Did I wake you?"

"No, Father. I haven't gone to sleep yet."

"I was just seeing how the mission with the Marker clan is going."

"It's a failure," Keitaro said honestly. He wasn't about to lie like his brother. "At this rate we will never get close to their family."

"Have you even seen their faces yet?"

Keitaro had a sudden image pop up into his head of Kanon. He quickly shook off the image. "Yes, but we don't know where they are hiding."

"Dammit, Keitaro. I was counting on you and your brother finding the Maaka's home. Every day that the half-blood remains alive is one step closer to a war breaking out."

"Wait a second. What do you mean?"

Keitaro's father growled. "The whole reason you're out there, Son. It's the whole reason you are hunting down the half-vampire. All the vampires in the world are getting restless. They want that Pushuke for themselves. It's only a matter of time before they attack. They will do anything to get to her."

Keitaro couldn't believe it. He could feel the anger building up inside him. "So that's why you're having me hunt them down? To kill them before a war breaks out. They didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course they did. Son, you don't get it. They have been hiding the vampires last hope for survival for the past fifteen years. If we take them out, we could prevent an all out war on Tokyo."

"That's just stupid, Father!" Yelling at the leader of Cross Organization was a very stupid idea but Keitaro was genuinely pissed. "If will kill the Pushuke, the vampire race will die out. So how in the world is this a good decision?"

"There will be other Pushukes. There will always be others. What would you rather have, Son? Do you want to be the one fighting off the vampires as they search for the Pushuke themselves or would you like to take out the clan before they do?"

Keitaro was silent. He had been lied to this whole time. This was the whole reason Cross Org. was attacking the Maakas. It had nothing to do with Kanon being a half-vampire. It never did. It was because she was the blood creator. All the vampires knew that she was alive and wanted to get her. They were willing to risk their own lives just to get to her. So Cross Organization decided in order to prevent a war they would take out the Pushuke first. With the Pushuke gone, the vampires would not see a need to attack. Sacrifice one, save one hundred.

"Father, I...I can't do this," Keitaro said slowly into the phone. "There has got to be another way."

"I knew you would be against this, Son," his father said softly into the phone. "That's why I lied to you about the mission. What happened to you in the past two weeks. Did she get to you? Did you actually see the Pushuke?"

His father had him pegged. What could he say now?

"I just don't see a need to kill a young girl that didn't do anything wrong," Keitaro said. "That's not what Cross Organization does. We don't kill vampires for no reason."

"This is your last chance, Son. You know where the vampire's live, don't you."

Keitaro didn't respond.

His father sighed. "You are such a disappointment. I always thought that you would be the one who could take over the job someday. I guess I was wrong. I knew you would be this way...That's why...That's why I already gave the order to have you terminated. Goodbye Son."

Before Keitaro could say another word, his brother Yukio jumped down from a tree behind him and swung a rifle at the back of his head. Keitaro could feel the stinging pain as he was caught off guard. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head as he fell to the ground. Everything went black.

Yukio stared at his brother with a toothy grin before picking up the cellphone.

"Don't kill him, Yukio," his father said. "He knows where the Maakas live. He'll lead you right to their doorstep."

Yukio liked the sound of that.


	34. Embarrassment 33

Embarrassment 33: Past

* * *

How many times did Yukio think about his past? How many nights was he haunted by the dreams of his father being killed before his eyes? No matter how many times he tried to avoid it, he always had to wake up and realize that his dreams were a reality.

Yukio was born from into a loving family. The stereotypical happy family. A father with a good job and a mother who loved him more than the world. He loved his father more than anything, and his father loved him. He was to be raised as a proper son. Never was it thought that everything would change on his fifth birthday.

The birthday started as normal as ever. He had a party and all the family was invited. The kind of birthday with cake, balloons, and ice cream. Perfect for a five year old son. His father had spent a week getting ready for his birthday and the party was a success. Yukio couldn't have been happier and thanked his father and mother a hundred times. Needless to say, it was a good day.

On the television, a report talked about the mysterious deaths of five different people, one of which was a kid who went to Yukio's preschool. Who would kill a child? Yukio's father didn't say anything to his son. He wanted Yukio to have a happy birthday. But as night fell, he decided to keep the doors locked. He tucked his son in and gave him a smile.

"I love you, Son," was what he said.

It may not have been the best thing to say to your five year old son. If he knew it was going to be his last night, he might have come up with something better. But all he said was that he loved his son. Nothing more was needed at that moment. His son told him that he loved him back and said thank you for the party before rolling over and closing his eyes. Yukio's father watched his son with a smile in his eyes. He truly was raising a fine young boy.

But Yukio's father wasn't the only one watching Yukio. Outside, in the shadow of a tree, another was watching the five year old boy. He had hair as black as night and eyes that glowed like a demon out of hell. He eyed the five year old boy in the window with a wicked smile on his face. In his mouth, two fangs grew. All the demon saw was a meal, and he was going to get what he wanted.

A crash awoke the young boy not too late into the night. Someone had broken into his house through the window in the den. There was shouting coming from Yukio's father and another man. Yukio didn't recognize the voice.

"Please, take whatever you want," Yukio's father said outside his room.

"Don't mind if I do," the other voice replied.

There was a scream followed by another crash. Yukio was scared. He got out of his bed and went to the door. It opened before he ever reached for it. His mother came in, grabbed hold of her son, and cowered on the bed. Yukio knew something was wrong.

"Moma, what's wrong?" Yukio asked.

She didn't respond. There were tears in her eyes and she held onto her son as if she was afraid she might lose him. Her eyes stayed glued onto the door. Yukio didn't understand why.

The room Yukio was in seemed to get smaller by the minute. Something was seriously wrong. Where was his daddy and why was his mother crying. There were footsteps outside his room. A person was coming to get him. A person who was not his father. He knew that before the door ever opened.

All Yukio could remember was seeing the glowing red eyes when the door opened. The fangs that stuck out of his gums were as long as Yukio's fingers. There was a smell in the air. A smell that Yukio was not used to. Blood. But who's blood was it?

"Please don't hurt us," his mother begged to the demon in black.

The demon didn't respond. He just walked towards her with a smile on his face. Something red dripped out of his mouth. Yukio realized how tightly his mother held on to him. Yukio was scared. Who was this demon and where was his father? But the five year old never cried. He never knew why that was so.

From behind the demon came a gunshot that echoed through the house. The demon spun around. Someone else was in the house. Yukio thought it was his father. There was another gunfire that ricocheted off of his wall. The demon screamed and fell to his knees. There was more of that smell. The smell of blood, this time from the demon in the room.

A man stepped into the room, a gun in his hand. He pointed the gun at the head of the demon with a look of anger in his eyes. Yukio watched as the man said a few words before pulling the trigger. The demon fell to the floor. More blood came out.

The savior wiped of his gun before putting it away. He looks at Yukio with a smile on his face. There seems to be kindness in his eyes. Even though Yukio's mother is still crying and in a state of shock, Yukio still doesn't change expression. He just stares at the savior in front of him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," the man said in a warm and gentle voice. "Happy birthday."

"Where's Papa?" Yukio can think to say.

The savior doesn't respond. But Yukio knew the truth by the look in his eyes. The smell told him what he needed to know. But still Yukio doesn't cry.

Years past slowly for the child. His father was gone. The demon took him away from Yukio. The savior turns out to be a man named Hotaru Cross. He was the head of an organization that keeps a balance between humans and demons. Yukio learns of the demons called vampires. He learns that Hotaru saved his family from a particular nasty demon who had gone feral. Yukio doesn't care as to the details. Every night he is haunted by that demon. He wants them all to die.

Yukio's mother falls in love with Hotaru and Hotaru falls in love with her. When Yukio is six his mother marries Hotaru and his last name is changed to Cross. Yukio calls Hotaru father and gives him the love he could never give his real dad. Hotaru loves him back. Everything seems to be happy again.

At seven a child is born. He is named Keitaro, meaning special one. He is Yukio's baby brother. Yukio is happy to have a brother. He can't wait for his mother to come home with the baby in her hand. She never comes home. Instead Hotaru comes home instead. Yukio doesn't understand why. His new father can't explain it in a way he'll understand.

"There were problems with the birth," Hotaru tries to explain. "Your mother is with your father now."

Yukio blames his new brother for the loss of his mother. But he still doesn't cry. A funeral is held soon after but he watches from the side. Keitaro took his mother away from him. He no longer wants a baby brother. He wants to die. But still, he never cries.

When Yukio turns sixteen he becomes a hunter. He takes every job he can. Killing the demons is what he does best. He doesn't care as to the reason as long as he can take his anger out on each and every last one of them. Hotaru is not proud of him. No matter how many demons he kills, he never seems to please Hotaru.

A surprise awaits Yukio when his brother is fourteen. He comes into the room to see his brother hunched over the sink. His eyes are blood red and there are fangs in his mouth. Yukio is shocked. His brother is just like the demons he had been hunting down. Keitaro can't explain why. He is scared and turns to his brother for help. Yukio just pushes his brother away and pulls out a knife. He wants to kill the demon like everyone else. Keitaro has tears in his eyes but Yukio doesn't care.

Hotaru hears the commotion and comes into the room. He yells at Yukio for pulling a knife out on his brother. He takes his brother's side and glares at Yukio like Yukio is scum. He tells Yukio and Keitaro the truth and both boys are startled. Hotaru is a demon himself.

Hotaru explains that he was born as a vampire in hibernation, considered a human in all aspects. He was hoping that Keitaro would be human. But he wasn't. Yukio suddenly feels hatred for his father and an even greater hate for Keitaro. But he doesn't say anything. Instead, he makes do with his brother's problem.

Yukio has always hated Keitaro. Hotaru always favored his half-blood son more than his stepson. But on the night that Hotaru calls him telling him to terminate Keitaro, Yukio finally sees an opportunity. All it took was a trick. Act like he was drunk and throw a party to trick Keitaro. He put up a good act and Keitaro fell for it. Just as he expected, his brother had taken the tracking beacon from his pocket.

He didn't follow his brother. He would wait for the demon to have his fun night with the Maakas. He knew his brother would betray the company. In the morning, he tracked his brother down to the park. He sat in a tree above the spot and watched Keitaro argue with his father. He felt no shame in hitting Keitaro with the butt of his weapon. In fact, in that one hit, he got all his anger out on his pathetic half-vampire brother.

"You must really really feel special," Yukio whispered in his brother's ear. "I hope you like that half-vampire demon. Because I promise you I will kill her. I told you not to get in my way."

Yukio left his brother in the park feeling better about himself. It was a good morning.

* * *

If you haven't figured out by now I am posting these chapters at rapid speed because I have some time off. But please, If you see anything wrong or something you don't like in the story, Please tell me. I don't mind flames. If you have a problem I would like to know. I don't even care if you say my story is crap.

I have to explain this chapter for you. If you notice that it is written differently its because it is. It's supposed to be a memory scene so it is usually written in short choppy paragraphs. Kind of like a memory is. Memories aren't smooth, at least mine aren't. So the style is different.


	35. Embarrassment 34

Embarrassment 34: Anju's Curiosity

* * *

It was the second time within a short period of time that Keitaro had a headache. Keitaro opened up one beady eye and realized that he was inside a building. There was an unfamiliar ceiling above his head and the sounds of people outside of the room. Keitaro didn't move though. His head hurt like hell but that wasn't what bothered him. He clearly remembered the conversation he had had with his father.

"I've been terminated," Keitaro said to himself, still staring at the ceiling. "I never thought it would happen."

Keitaro looked around the rest of the room. It was a small room with only one window, most likely a hospital room. Outside of the window it was clear that it was night. How long had he been knocked out and how did he manage to get here? Did it really matter anymore? He was as good as dead now. That's all that mattered.

Keitaro was about to lay back down in the bed when he realized that somebody else was in the room with him. He immediately recognized the girl as Anju. In her hands was that same creepy doll that he saw her with last time. But how did she manage to get in the room?

"How are you feeling, Hunter?" she said in a stoic voice.

"How did you get in here, Anju?" he asked, staring her down. "And what are you doing here for that matter?"

"I saw you with my niece and have been watching you since then," Anju said, getting out of the chair and coming over to Keitaro's bedside. "You have been asleep for almost three days."

_She really does look just like a young girl,_ Keitaro thought, staring at her.

She leaned in really close to Keitaro and examined him like a target. Keitaro didn't like her being that close to him. His hand reached towards his pocket for a weapon, just in case, but realized that all his weapons had been taken. But what he didn't know was that Anju was armed. Up her sleeve she had a bat familiar waiting to attack if he tried anything.

"Explain to me this, Hunter," Anju said still looking him over. "Why were you with Kanon that night?"

"She followed me, Vampire," Keitaro said back. He didn't like her calling him hunter.

"But you didn't attack her."

"Maybe I should have. Thanks to your precious niece, I'm now being hunted down by my own family. Now do you mind telling me what your looking for."

Anju didn't respond to him. She just continued looking him over. But, as if disappointed by something, she finally took a step back from Keitaro and went back over to the chair. Keitaro was glad that she wasn't next to him and relaxed slightly better.

"What do you want from me now?" Keitaro asked.

"I just wanted to know what your motives are," Anju replied. "I know it was you that gave us that note. Why are you helping us?"

"I'm not doing this for you, Vampire. I'm doing it for the Pushuke that your family is hiding from the world."

"Why do you care about her, Hunter? You pulled a weapon on her not to long ago."

Keitaro wasn't found of Anju. He didn't think that he deserved such an in depth lecture from someone who looked younger than him. But he was in no condition to start a fight with her. His head was still hurting like crazy and she was one of the strongest vampires. Instead, Keitaro took a deep breath and told her the truth about the Organization's plan, from the lies his father told him, to the war that may break out over the Pushuke. The entire time, Anju sat across the room in silence. He couldn't tell if she truly believed him, nor did he care.

"Your family is the one thing standing between all the vampires in the world and Kanon," he finished.

Anju didn't say anything for a few moments. He couldn't tell what was going through her head since she didn't show any emotions. But finally, she spoke up.

"I don't know if I should believe you, Hunter," Anju said softly. "But Little Niece seems to trust you. I just want to know what you plan to do now."

"I plan to go into hiding. My father wants me dead for helping your family."

Anju looked Keitaro over for a few seconds before going over to the window. Before she left, she turned to Keitaro one last time and said. "You may think that Kanon isn't worth protecting, but we are willing to do anything to protect her. Maybe you should spend more time and get to know her. Because its obvious that she wants to get to know you."

"What do you mean?"

"Little niece has never been in such a good mood. But ever since she spent time with you..."

That was all she said before jumping out the window onto a nearby tree and disappearing into the night. But Keitaro was smart enough to understand. He was right about Kanon. She had looked to him as a friend for some reason. But why? He tried so hard to push her away from him because he didn't want a friendship. Keitaro realized that there was a lump inside his pocket. Reaching in he pulled out Kanon's phone. His had been taken, most likely by his brother, but young Kanon's was still with him. It would give him a reason to see her again. Now that he was alone, he needed an ally. No... He needed a friend.

Meanwhile Anju sat on top of a building a few blocks away with Boogie in her hands. She was in silence, still deep in thought about what to do.

_"Hey,"_ Boogie whined. _"What happened to wiping the boys mind, Anju. He's a danger to Kanon now."_

"I couldn't do it, Boogie," Anju said truthfully. "That boy may be just what Kanon needs right now."

_"You can't just trust him because he acts nice. He is a Vampire Hunter, Anju. He is your mortal enemy. A vampire and a vampire hunter can't be allies. When he's done with you, he'll kill you."_

"I know that. But until that time, we may need him."

_"For what? We don't need him. Wipe his mind and get it over with."_

"Don't tell me what to do," she replied, slightly aggravated. "As long as he doesn't try anything on my niece, I will let him live."

As soon as Keitaro found the strength to get out of bed he made his way over to the window and jumped out. He didn't want anybody to know who he was or where he was going. He even bought himself some normal clothing and threw away the old. Yukio wouldn't have left him alive for no reason and was probably tracking him. Most likely hoping he went to the Maaka mansion. His best chance was to lay low for awhile.

Officially, Keitaro was like all the vampires he had hunted down in his life. He now knew what they felt like. He knew it probably was a bad idea helping out Kanon. Eventually somebody would catch on. But what other choice did he have? His father was wrong and he knew it. But from now on, he was going to be the hunted.

* * *

That makes three chapters in one day. A new record. I'm surprised that there hasn't been many people reviewing lately. I hope the story isn't dead. Please, if you have a suggestion or find a problem, hit me up. I would love to get a review.


	36. Embarrassment 35

Embarrassment 35: Alone

* * *

Ever since Kanon had spent a night on the town with Keitaro, things seemed to go smoother around the house. Karin had gotten used to becoming a vampire. She blatantly refused sleeping in a coffin though, saying that she was scared of being in one. She got into a long argument with Henry about it because she came back later that night after feeding to find he had replaced her bed with one. Kanon and Anju both got to laugh as Karin forced her papa to get rid of the coffin and get the bed put back into the room.

Elda had decided to go back to sleep for a while. Anju and Carrera were especially happy about that. Elda told Kanon before she went back to sleep to wake her up if there were any problems with the hunters again. She was still a bit pissed that Yukio had managed to throw a tracking beacon on her without her knowing. Even though it ended up being very small, Elda was not proud of a vampire hunter getting the upper hand on her.

Ren had stopped by the mansion with Bridget on Thursday night, two nights after Kanon had been with Keitaro. She had hardly changed and almost went crazy for joy when she found out Kanon was a Pushuke. Kanon decided early on in the night to stay out of the house for a while till she calmed down. Bridget wasn't a big fan of Karin anymore now that she was just another vampire but did ask Karin if she planned to look for a new husband anytime soon. Karin politely but quickly said no. The funniest thing about Bridget was how well Ren controlled her.

"You got to know how to train them," Ren replied to his parents.

Kanon couldn't help but notice that Anju watched her every time she left the house. She wondered if Anju knew why she was going out each night and coming back so late. It had been a ten days since Kanon had heard from Keitaro and wondered if he had left. It may have been better that way, but deep down, Kanon was slightly depressed. She didn't understand fully what she thought when she saw him. She had only spent a couple of hours around him but she liked every moment. Keitaro was the only person outside of her own family who understood and knew what she was and didn't care. But maybe it was better off.

Kanon had found a spot that she liked to sit at inside the barrier, that she was able to see the entire town. When she wasn't with her family, or wanted to escape to peace, she went out to this rock and usually sat there all night just thinking. Her father would show up sometimes and sit with her on the boulder. Sometimes he talked with her and sometimes he just gave her the company she needed. But after a couple of days, he finally asked her what the problem was.

_"Kanon, you have been so down for over a week now,"_ he said, starring up at the starry sky. _"Has there been something on your mind?"_

She knew that she couldn't hide much from him.

"I'm okay, Papa. I was just thinking about something. Ever since I became a vampire, I've had to get rid of all my friends. Everyone keeps telling me that humans will never understand what I am and other vampires will just see me as the Pushuke. But last week, I ran into somebody who didn't look at me as some scary demon. I even found out that he is a half-vampire like me. But he's my families mortal enemy so I can't just be his friend."

_"Why not? Kanon, you have been so lonely ever since you awoke as a vampire. But the human side of you needs someone to be around. So what if Keitaro is a vampire hunter? You had a good time with him, did you not? Not only that, he is willing to protect you when nobody else will."_

Kanon didn't even wonder how he knew she was talking about Keitaro. She had a feeling that her father had been with her that entire night. She liked the fact that Kenta fully supported her being around Keitaro. He obviously didn't feel a threat from Keitaro.

"But," Kanon said slowly, "I haven't seen him in over a week. How do I know he hasn't gone home by now?"

_"Because you are still here,"_ Kenta replied. _"He's still out here somewhere. No doubt close so __that he can keep an eye on you. Go find him Kanon. You'll feel better if you are around him."_

She smiled and gave her father a hug before leaving the Maaka's barrier. She had an idea of where Keitaro might be and just wanted to talk to him again. He was truly a friend, whether they both denied it or not.

On top of the mansion roof, Anju and Boogie watched the young vampire walk off. Anju knew where Kanon was going. She had been watching Kanon and her vampire ears could easily pick up everything Kanon had said.

_"I think your niece has finally gone crazy,"_ Boogie teased. _"The little brat is talking to the wind again. Anju are you just going to let her go after that boy?"_

Anju didn't say anything. Being a full blooded vampire, Anju often had trouble with human emotions and a human's way of thinking. She wasn't able to comprehend why Kanon would want to be around a vampire hunter. As far as Anju could see, Keitaro was a good-for-nothing half-blood that deserved to die. He had managed to break through their barrier so he knew where they lived. In fact, the only thing that stop Anju from killing him now that she knew his location was the fact that Kanon wanted to see him. Anju was quite curious on the human feeling that Kanon displayed. She wanted to watch and see what her niece did.

Kanon walked around the town for almost an hour looking for head or tail of Keitaro. She had no clue that he had been terminated by his own organization because of her and was now in hiding. The biggest problem is that Kanon had no clue what she said when she saw him. He had tried so hard to keep his distance from her in order to keep her safe. For her to deliberately come looking for him might make him angry with her.

But, she wasn't looking for him. She was just walking around town. Her town. There's nothing wrong with that. And if she so happens to run into him while walking through her town, common courtesy would be to say hello, right? Maybe not just say hello, but talk to him a little bit.

What Kanon was unaware of was the fact that Keitaro already knew where she was and had been following her since she left the Maaka barrier. With new clothing and his hair combed back he didn't stick out in a crowd anymore. He could probably walk right by her without her even knowing. He was still keeping up his vow by protecting her. But he wouldn't let himself get seen unless he really needed to. He was more of a danger to Kanon now that he had been terminated.

_Go home, Kanon,_ Keitaro thought as he watched her cross the street and enter a small outdoor mall. _Why are you so determined to find me? What could you possibly get from being around me? Go home, please._

Another reason why Keitaro didn't show his face was that he noticed the two bats flying behind the young vampire. One was obviously Anju's, making sure that Kanon was safe. He suspected that the other may have been another Maaka's bat. Keitaro extremely disliked Anju for the way she treated him while he was in the hospital. He could sense that she wanted to kill him the entire time that she was in the room with him. Even though vampires don't drink other vampire's blood, they still have minor reactions to the emotions. Being that Keitaro's affinity was malice, he could always tell when someone was a threat to him. Anju definitely wanted nothing more than that.

Kanon always seemed to attract attention when she walked around the city at night. Most people didn't understand what a normal, fourteen year old girl would be doing awake at such late hours at night. The truth was, Kanon's body had fully gotten used to living within the night hours. She loved going out into Tokyo when the city was alive and coming back early in the morning the next day. Every once and a while, she would even take a stroll through the park. Night didn't really seem to bother her. It may be because she knew that there was somebody always watching over her, mainly Anju. Even though she tried asking Anju to stop following her with the bats, her aunt denied.

But even with the bats watching over her, Kanon couldn't escape the feeling of being helplessly alone. He had waited until morning just a few nights ago and happened to run into her best friend Nariko, who was going off to school. Completely forgetting that Nariko had forgotten about her, she ran up to her best friend.

"Hey Nariko," she had said, running up, waving.

"Oh hello there," Nariko replied in her usual cheery voice. "Have we met before?"

Kanon, being thick as ever, continued on. "Haha, very funny. It's me, Kanon Usui."

"Are you knew here? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Nariko, its me, Kanon. Your best friend since grade school."

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you. I think you may have me confused with someone else."

With that, Nariko turned away and continued on to school without even looking back at Kanon. It really put Kanon in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It wasn't the best thing to hear your best friend say that she has no clue who you are. Kanon was all alone now. She knew this would happen after she awoke as a vampire but never realized the affects it would have on her.

"I miss my old life," Kanon said, sitting down at a table.

She truly was alone.


	37. Embarrassment 36

Embarrassment 36: First Attack

* * *

After Yukio had his fun knocking out Keitaro with the butt of his rifle, he was called back to Cross Organization. Hotaru had much more pressing matters for Yukio to attend to. Besides, he was having one of his other soldiers watch Keitaro. Then his son would be less likely to recognize their faces. The soldier was given orders to stay in the shadows until Keitaro lead him straight to the Maaka barrier. Then, with one call, Cross Organization would move in to attack the family within ten minutes. Yukio didn't really mind, as long as he was the one to lead the assault. He had some unfinished business with Elda.

When Yukio's elevator landed on the top floor of Cross Organization headquarters, Hotaru was already ready with an update on the war.

"According to my sources," Hotaru explain, "Vampires clans from as far away as Egypt are on their way to Tokyo right now. More Vampires have been seen outside of the city, using their bats to scope out the Maaka's territory."

"I thought you said that we would have more time before the demons attacked," Yukio said angrily.

"Too many Vampires have died this year alone. They are determined to tear apart the city to find the Pushuke. We can't wait for Keitaro to lead us to the barrier. We have to prepare for the worst."

"How the hell did they find out about her anyways. If this Marker clan has been doing such a good job protecting her, why is it vampires on the other side of the world know of her existence?"

"Every year, Vampire clans get together to talk about many things from new births to death rates. According to inside sources the Maaka clan has avoided the meetings ever since the incident with their daughter, Karin. It was a vampire by the name of Glark who told the rest of the vampires about the Pushuke living with the Maakas."

"God damn Maaka clan," Yukio said angrily. "This entire war will be their fault. I swear to god if I ever get my hands on them, I'll kill them."

"The Maakas must have known this day would come," Hotaru replied.

"I'm going to the vampires outside the city," Yukio said heading for the elevator. "Maybe I can convince them to work with us instead of attacking the city."

Hotaru stopped him. "Yukio, don't go crazy and shoot them like you usually do."

Yukio just laughed and pressed the button for ground level. When the doors shut, he said, "Don't worry, Father. I'm only going to shoot the demons if they attack me first."

Once Hotaru was alone he took a seat at his desk at the window and looked out over the city of Tokyo. "Son, you better know what you're doing helping that half-vampire."

Meanwhile, miles away from Cross Organization, young Kanon had given up on searching for Keitaro and went into the park to be alone. Keitaro was slightly glad that she was done searching for him. Maybe then she would go back to the Maaka barrier where she was safe. Instead, she took a seat on a swing in a playground at the park. Keitaro could even tell from far away that she was unhappy. He didn't expect her to be so down about not being able to see him. He still didn't see what she saw in him. Nobody in the world had ever treated him like this.

"I guess he really did go back home," Kanon said to nobody in particular. "I guess that means that they are no longer hunting for me."

"Who is it you are looking for?" A man asked, scaring the life out of Kanon.

She didn't realize that somebody else had been in the park with her. It really scared her. It was almost like the man had appeared out of thin air. Kanon looked at the man. He looked at least thirty and was wearing an old brown coat and top hat. In his hand he held an elegant cane with bats engraved on it. The man had a mustache and brown hair that came down to his shoulders. He looked like he belonged in a different time period and Kanon knew right off the bat that he was a vampire because he gave off a toothy smile, showing off his two razor sharp fangs.

"My dear Pushuke," the vampire said, taking off his top hat and bowing, "allow me to introduce myself. My name is Akim Roselle. I have traveled from my homeland in Russia to meet you and take you back with me. I must say, I was expecting the fountain of life to be much older. You are but just a kid.

"I don't understand?" Kanon wondered. "You wanted to see me?"

"But of course. It is what you do, do you not?" Akim had the Russian accent but tried to sound so elegant and simpleminded when he talked. "You are the Pushuke. It has been a long journey finding you. You must be excited to meet another vampire so that you can finally do what it is that you do and save the vampire race."

"I'm not going anywhere?" Kanon said, slowly understanding what the Russian wanted from her.

Akim just stared at her, confused. "But I do not understand. Are you not the Pushuke?"

"No," Kanon said. "I hate that title. I'm Kanon Usui. That's all."

Kanon was nervous, but it was nothing as to how Keitaro was feeling. From the moment that the vampire had appeared, his heart had been racing. This encounter meant that the vampires were coming for Kanon now and already started searching the city. He didn't expect it to happen so soon. Kanon was in trouble but without any weapons, Keitaro had no way of protecting her from another vampire. He just couldn't sit and watch.

"Your family has poisoned your mind with lies, dearest Pushuke," Akim said in a comforting voice. "Come with me to Russia. You will be treated as a god until you sacrifice your blood to the Roselle clan."

Kanon didn't like the sound of giving her blood to anybody. She got off the swing and took a step back from the vampire. Where was Anju when he needed her? She really didn't like the intents that Akim had for her. Akim was starting to get aggravated.

"I do not understand. I thought that the Pushuke would want to give away their life for the greater good of vampires. It was what you were born for. Now lets leave this horrid city."

Kanon took another step back and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Akim got a slight bit more irritated by the fact that she was straight up rejecting him. From trees all around him, bats came down and landed on his shoulders and hat. Without warning the vampire raised up his cane and all bats took off towards Kanon, making her to scream. Akim was planning on taking her back to Russia by force. But before his bats ever touched Kanon, somebody stepped out in front of them.

Kanon looked at her savior realizing it was none other than Keitaro. The bats stopped their attack and flew back to their master, landing back on Akim's shoulders. Kanon could sense the anger burning inside Keitaro as he gave the vampire a death stare. He still didn't have a weapon but that didn't matter. Nobody was going to harm Kanon under his watch.

"Keitaro," Kanon muttered under her breath.

"You're pathetic, Vampire," Keitaro said, glaring at Akim. "Can't you see she doesn't want to go with you."

"Who do you think you are, Human?" Akim hissed. "You think you can stop me?"

"You obviously have no idea who I am then."

Akim was obviously annoyed with Keitaro already. He lifted up his cane again just slightly and his bats took off at Keitaro. Keitaro counted six of them and most likely they were going to try and knock him out. Simple vampiric tricks. He stood his ground. As soon as the bats got close to him he quickly reached out and grabbed two of them and rolled out of the way of the other four. He then took the two bats he was holding and threw them at the swing set.

The bats tried another attack but Keitaro just grabbed another two out of the air and crushed them, leaving only two alive. Akim was astounded that anybody could move so quickly. To catch a bat mid-flight required a lot of speed and skill. But Keitaro had a lot of practice being a vampire hunter.

"Who are you?" Akim asked.

"Doesn't matter," Keitaro said, standing up. "You aren't worth Kanon Usui's blood. So go back home and tell your clan that you failed."

Akim laughed. "You can't protect the Pushuke forever."

"We'll see about that."

Akim did something that Keitaro wasn't expecting next. Tossing his cane to the side, Akim charged at Keitaro. The young vampire hunter was not expecting him to continue attacking and was thrown backwards into a tree. Akim had a lot of strength behind him and it knocked the wind out of Keitaro.

"Keitaro!" Kanon screamed, running to his side. "Are you okay."

Akim wasn't finished though. While Keitaro was down, he summoned more bats that engulfed the hunter, scratching and cutting him. Kanon herself was knocked to the side. Keitaro fought off as many bats as he could but he was outnumbered.

_You have never let a vampire get the upper hand on you, Keitaro,_ he thought to himself as he fell to the ground. _Maybe it's me who is not worth to be Kanon's protector._

With a little help of vampire power, Keitaro was knocked out. He had been scratched and bitten by quite a few bats and managed to take out a few himself. In the end, Akim had won the battle. He had his bats surround Kanon and hold her still. She screamed and struggled but the bats managed to hold her still.

Akim was pleased. He walked over to his cane but stopped when he saw a girl standing there. A girl with long flowing silver hair and a doll in her hands. Anju looked up at the vampire angrily. Without even saying anything the vampire's own bats turned on him, letting go of Kanon and grabbing onto Akim. Kanon quickly ran over to Keitaro's unconscious body.

"Let me go, Little Girl," Akim said angrily. "You don't want me to get mad, now do you?"

Anju just stared at the vampire without fear. She was in control of him, not the other way around. She walked up to his bats and pet them as if they were her own.

"Bring him home," she whispered to the bat. "Make sure he tells the other vampires that he failed."

"What are you doing, Little girl?" Akim hissed. "You don't control my bats. You can't tell them what to do."

But Anju _was _in control of his bats now. Just like that, the bats picked up the Russian and flew off into the night. Anju could clearly hear him shouting slander at her and the bats for not listening to him. Anju watched him go in silence.

_"I'm telling you, you should have killed him, Anju,"_ Boogie said from her hands. _"After what he was planning to do to Kanon..."_

"He needs to bring the warning back home."

_"Fine, but then you should have the bats kill him."_

"Just be quiet, Boogie."

Anju knew that even with the message sent home, this was only the beginning of the vampires. And once they realized that Kanon isn't going to go willingly, they will get violent. Something will have to be done soon. Kanon will have to make a choice.

* * *

I've got to ask, since this story started about four months ago, it has taken some drastic turns. I'm just wondering if I'm going in the right direction. What do you guys think about the Vampire War starting. Do you think my story is going off in the wrong way or are you in love with the story? Just wondering.


	38. Embarrassment 37

Embarrassment 37: Starting Fires

* * *

Just outside of town there was a hotel many vampires used to escape the daylight hours when traveling. Most of the time it stayed fairly empty. Humans didn't usually stay at it because it was outdated. But vampires usually found it suiting for their needs. But for the past three days the hotel had been at full booking, majority of the inhabitants being vampires. There were at least twenty vampires staying in the rooms. Every last one of them was searching the city by night, trying to find the Maaka barrier. But as long as all the Maakas held the barrier, the vampires could search for an eternity and never find the mansion.

Some vampires had started getting restless. They wanted their clan to be the one that gets the Pushuke. It had started to become an all out race to be the first to get her. They didn't care or understand that Kanon had no interest in going with anyone. One way or another, they were going to have her, even if that meant attacking humans to get their attention.

Yukio showed up at the hotel and picked out a room at random. It really didn't matter which vampire he spoke with. He knew that the vampire's wouldn't be pleased with a hunter from Cross Organization coming to negotiate with them. He was actually hoping that they would be ready for a fight. But he showed up armed with two flashbang and his trusted pistol.

The room that he had chosen had two vampire brothers from a neighboring island of Japan. They were the first to take residence in the hotel and had searched the entire city for the Maakas. They had seen a few of the family members but never long enough to get in close. Thanks to Cross Organization, all of the family had been very careful not to be seen by anyone. But the two brothers were finally fed up.

"Maybe we should try kidnapping one of the humans," one of the brothers said.

"What good will that do us?" the other one replied. "We don't want to cause a seen just yet. Then the hunters will be breathing down our neck."

"Stupid Maaka clan. They always hog the Pushuke for themselves. I'm not about to let them get the better of us."

There was a knock at the door, surprising both of the brothers.

"Who is it?" the first brother yelled, not leaving his seat.

Yukio decided to make an entrance and kicked in the door. His hand remained on his pistol.

"Well it ain't room service," Yukio teased.

Both brothers jumped to their feet. They immediately recognized the emblem that was on Yukio's coat. Yukio could see their hands glowing. He was hoping to god they would try something on him. If they so much as tried to wipe his memory he would shoot them down.

"What are you doing here, Hunter?" the first brother asked angrily. "You have no right being here."

"I have no right being here?" Yukio wondered. "And what are two vampires like you doing away from your territory?"

"You know what we are here for," the second brother replied.

"Oh, that's right," Yukio said smiling. "You boys are after the Pushuke. Now that's a sight to see. How desperate does your race have to be that you need to search through the largest city in the world for one half-vampire demon?"

Yukio was obviously making fun of them, and they knew it. There wasn't much that they could do about it though. If they were to attack him, he could easily destroy them without so much as breaking a sweat. Yukio was the number one vampire hunter in the world.

"You know," he continued, "I heard that a war might break out between the humans and vampires soon. What can you tell me about that?"

The two brothers glanced at one another and slowly sat back down.

"We have no idea," the first brother responded.

"Really now? I mean, you are vampires, are you not? I'm sure you fine men would know something about a war. It's not like it's something small. You had to have heard something. " He casually walked over to the table they were seated at and took a seat in the remaining chair. He was laughing on the inside when he saw how much the two of them were sweating. They obviously knew something. "What do you say, boys? Mind passing me a little information?"

The two brothers were silent at first. They didn't know what they should tell the Hunter. But Yukio had all the time in the world, and he was enjoying his little game.

"There's been talk amongst the other clans," the second brother said. "They are getting tired of waiting for the Pushuke to appear and are desperate to get to her before any more of our race dies. Some of them have been talking about tearing apart the city, forcing the Maakas to give up their daughter."

"Well ain't that just great?" Yukio laughed. "Attacking humans to get to vampires. You do realize that would give yourselves away to the humans, breaking the vampiric code of honor. Cross Organization would have their hands full hunting each and every one of you down."

"They don't care anymore. We've tried negotiating with the Maaka clan and they refused to give up their daughter."

"So where do you stand in this war, boys?" Once again, the two vampire brothers glanced at each other without saying a word. Yukio didn't need an answer after that. He knew exactly where the demons stood. "You demons are fighting for the wrong side. Would you like to learn a few things about me? You want to know why I became a vampire hunter? It's because my father and mother was killed by demons like you. They both had no reason to be killed. But because of a feral vampire, they lost their lives."

"We're...sorry to hear that," one of the brothers said, feeling the unsteadiness in the room.

"No you aren't," Yukio said standing up and making his way over to the window. "Don't lie to me boys. Right now, you could care less if I lived or died. To you, I'm just another pathetic human. The weaker species...However..."

Without warning, Yukio grabbed the blinds on the window and ripped them off the wall. In the distance, the morning sun was rising. The room was suddenly flooded with light. Yukio didn't even have to turn around. He could hear the vampire brothers yelling in pain. They knocked the table over and got into a corner, where the sun couldn't burn them.

"You bastard!" the first brother yelled from a corner of the room.

Yukio just turned around and shot him down with his pistol. The bullet pieced the heart, killing the vampire instantly. His brother darted over to him, not caring about the sunlight that burned his skin. Yukio just laughed.

"I just love the morning, don't you?" he said.

"You killed my brother!" the vampire yelled. "He never did anything to you!"

"You all did, when you decided to take my family from me!" Yukio yelled back angrily.

"I'll kill you!"

Without warning, the vampire leapt towards Yukio, fangs and claws bared, screaming like a maniac. He was showing his true colors. His true vampiric form. His eyes glowed like the demon that took Yukio's father away from him. Yukio stood his ground and caught the vampire, throwing him through the window. The vampire fell off the second floor and hit the concrete, burning from the sunlight. Yukio watched him burn.

"Stupid vampire," he said. "Should watch your step next time. You really thought you could take me down that easily?"

The hunter shot the vampire before he could escape to shade. He then pulled out his cellphone and called up his father.

"I'm sorry, father," he lied into the phone. "I tried to negotiate with some of the vampires. They seem to be determined to find Kanon without our help. I tried leaving, but they attacked me. I was forced to kill them."

"Make sure no other vampires have seen this then," Hotaru responded, obviously nervous. "We don't need this war to start early."

Yukio glanced at all the windows with vampires inside. He smiled. "I think I can do that."

He hung up the phone, only to get a text message. It said that his brother was with the Maakas. It wanted to know when Yukio wanted to strike. He typed one hour and sent the text. It gave him time to get to know all the vampires in the hotel.

* * *

At this point you probably are thinking Yukio is a complete ass. But you can't say he doesn't have character. This is one of those short chapters that the story absolutly needed. I don't think I'll have many chapters as dark as this. It's not easy to do without making this a mature rated story. P.S. thanks for the reviews. It gave me a few ideas for future chapters. Well onto the next chapter.


	39. Embarrassment 38

Embarrassment 38: Reason

* * *

Keitaro stirred slowly in his sleep. He didn't feel like opening his eyes just yet. He was in a very comfortable position and felt like he could sleep all day. He was also trying hard to remember what had happened last night. He had followed Kanon around town for over an hour. A vampire showed up and tried to take her away. Then that's when he showed up to help her. The next thing he knew he was in darkness. Most likely he had failed to take down the vampire and was knocked unconscious.

But this didn't feel like the cold hard ground of the park. Actually far from it, he could feel a soft pillow beneath his head and a blanket on top of him. He was in a room of some sort because there was no wind blowing. But who's room. He had a feeling he knew exactly where he was and that was what scared him. He was in the Maaka mansion.

He opened up a beady eye and looked around the room. He had been asleep in a pink blanketed bed in a cute little room. The morning sun was shining in through the window above the bed, and gave the room a warm feeling. At the end of the bed was a small dresser with a few books and photos of the Maaka family. Across the room was a wooden door with a neko clock above it. This had to be Kanon's room. Which meant he had just spent the night in her bed. The thought almost turned the teen's face red.

_I have to get out of here now,_ Keitaro thought to himself, getting out of the bed. _The longer I stay in this house, the better the chance that my father tracks me down._

Just then, he heard Kanon, Anju, and Anju's doll talking out in the hallway. He didn't pay any mind at first until he figured out that they were speaking about him. That was when he listened in.

"Why did you bring him here?" Anju asked her niece. "He can't stay here, Little Niece."

"I didn't want to just leave him out there in the cold where he could have died," Kanon replied honestly.

_"You dimwit,"_ Boogie yelled angrily. _"Don't you realize how dangerous it is to bring a vampire hunter into a house full of vampires? How stupid do you have to be?"_

"He's not going to hurt us. Keitaro has helped me so many times in the past. I just had to help him."

_"Are you even listening to what I'm saying? Vampire hunters kill vampires. You are a vampire. Do the math."_

"I heard what you said, okay!" Kanon said, slightly annoyed with Boogie. "But it doesn't matter. He's not like other vampire hunters. He's a half-vampire like me."

_"Oh, that makes me feel a whole lot safer," _Boogie replied sarcastically.

"Little Niece. Last night you went out looking for him, didn't you?" Anju asked.

"How did you..." Kanon started.

"I've been watching you ever since you found out Keitaro was a half-vampire. You've been happier ever since that night. Tell me, why are you so interested in him?"

"I'm not..." Kanon said blushing. She went silent for a little to long.

_"You have feelings for him?"_ Boogie blurted out.

If Kanon could have, she would have grabbed Boogie and tossed him down the staircase. She was thankful that Anju squeezed tighter on her dolls neck, choking him. It turned Boogie's teasing laugh into nothing more than coughs. Kanon was redder than ever. She couldn't have feelings for Keitaro. She hardly knew him yet.

"Keitaro is the only person who doesn't treat me like I'm a monster," Kanon said softly. "You may not like him, but I like being around him. I need a friend and he's the only one I have."

When Keitaro heard Kanon say this, he was quite a bit shocked. He never thought that anyone would ever see him as a friend. Kanon cared about him more than he did for his own well being. Now that he knew what Kanon thought of him, he had to wonder what exactly he thought of her.

"Little Niece, I'm going to bed," Anju said, turning her back on Kanon. "I want him out of the house before Mama and Papa awaken."

"I promise," Kanon replied, crossing her fingers.

Kanon was surprised that Anju didn't kill Keitaro the moment she saw him. It's obvious that she knew how Kanon felt about him. But she also had a feeling that her aunt had other plans for the young vampire hunter. But in all honesty, Anju was feeling a lot of hatred for Keitaro at this moment. She had seen this happen before with her older sister and Kenta. She knew exactly what was going to happen if things stayed on this path.

Sighing, Kanon turned around and opened the door to her room slowly. She was a bit surprised to see him awake and sitting on the edge of her bed. He didn't smile when she entered the room and was in deep thought about what she had said in the hallway. Kanon took a seat down next to him, but he acted like she wasn't there.

_Just say something to him, Kanon,_ she thought to herself.

"Thank you for saving me again," she said softly.

"You really have a problem following orders, don't you?" Keitaro said, staring off into space. "I don't want to be the one who messes up your life."

"Well, my life was kind of messed up before you came along. Nothings normal when you find out that your parent is really a vampire."

"Tell me about it," Keitaro replied, thinking about his past. "At least you don't have to keep what you are a secret to everyone."

"Sometimes I wish I could. I miss my old life. At least before I awoke as a vampire, I had a normal life. It was just me, Mama, Papa, and Grandma."

"I never knew my mother and my father was more interested in running the organization then spending time with me and Yukio. My brother took care of me most of the time."

Kanon could just imagine a young Keitaro growing up without a true family. She had never seen Yukio before, but knew he was a vampire hunter like Keitaro. She wondered what Yukio was like. She had no idea that Yukio and Keitaro were nothing alike.

"Keitaro, why do you deny being a half-vampire?" Kanon asked finally.

She had been wanting to know the answer ever since she met him. Looking at him, she could tell he was thinking of the answer himself. Maybe it was something that she didn't need to know the answer to. But after a few seconds, Keitaro finally gave her the answer.

"When I awoke as a vampire, my father decided to pull me out of school and train me as a hunter. He told me that humans will never understand me. I never wanted to join Cross Organization. I had friends and a life in with other humans, just like you. I tried to cope with the fact of what I was. My brother hated me and my father ignored me but I still tried to remain happy."

He paused and glanced up at Kanon before continuing. "It wasn't until I was on my first hunt that I realized the situation I was in. A few miles away from here there was a half-vampire that had gone feral and killed a few people. I tracked him down to an abandoned factory and tried negotiating with him. I can still remember his face. His fangs were bared and his nails were as sharp as knives. There was no life within his eyes. He tried to kill me without a second thought and I was forced to kill him."

"That's horrible," Kanon said.

"It got worse. I did research when I got back home and found out that no half-vampire has ever lived longer than twenty or thirty years before going feral. When vampires are near the blood that they like, they have certain instincts that set in so that they can hunt. But for the most part, they have the ability to control those instincts. It's not the same for half-bloods like us. We weren't born with those chromosomes. We can control your instincts to an extent, but sooner or later, we will find ourselves in a situation that we will be unable to control those instincts. Eventually, our body will snap."

Kanon was in a state of shock. She knew exactly what instincts he was talking about. Every time she came near people who were angry, her heart rate would increase and her body would go on autopilot. She could even remember a time when she attacked someone without even knowing how she did it. But hearing that in five to fifteen years, she could become a monster was not something she wanted to know.

That was why Keitaro denied being a half-vampire. He knew better than anyone else in the world that he was living on borrowed time. He was hoping against all odds that ignoring the problem would make it go away after a while. But that wasn't how life worked. He was a half-vampire and so was she. One way or another, that day will come.

Keitaro stood up after he finished his explanation and walked over to the door. Kanon wondered where he was going so suddenly.

"Cross Organization is probably tracking me right now, Kanon," he said. "If I don't lead them away from the barrier they will come here and attack you. I have to go."

"So that means you and I can't see each other again?" Kanon wondered.

"It wouldn't stop you if I said yes. Don't worry Kanon. At this point, it's going to be impossible for us to avoid one another. Just promise me you won't come looking for me. I'll come to you if you want to see me again."

Kanon smiled. "Do you mean it?"

"As long as your aunt doesn't try to kill me first," he teased.

Without saying anything else, Keitaro let himself out of the room, leaving Kanon in a very happy mood. Keitaro didn't know why he wanted to be so nice to her. She was a sweet young girl and there was nothing more to it. It made him proud to know that he had chosen to protect her.


	40. Embarrassment 39

Embarrassment 39: Smooth Talking

* * *

Keitaro found his way out of the mansion without much trouble. He had no clue how long he had been passed out. He hadn't seen his brother's face in over a week but that didn't mean jack to him. Yukio was one of the best hunters in the world. He's not going to let you see him unless he wants you to. Keitaro had a feeling that he was being watched from the moment he was marked as an enemy. It was the only reason he was still breathing.

It didn't take long for Keitaro to confirm that his paranoia had been accurate. As he neared the Maaka barrier, he could see his brother and four other men coming up the hill, rifles in hand. Yukio was in heated discussion with one of the soldiers, but Keitaro couldn't make out what he was saying. They must have watched Kanon bring him past the Maaka barrier. But for all they knew, he could have been brought to any abandoned building. Vampire barriers were virtually invisible to anyone that is meant to be kept out. Even the most advanced hunters can't tell they're near one until they have already gotten themselves turned around.

So they couldn't possibly know that he was at the Maaka mansion. They must be attacking just because they saw Kanon. But if Keitaro were to stay put, his brother would never see him. As it was right now, Keitaro was on the other side of the vampiric barrier. Even if they looked straight at him, they would not be able to see him. That was the beauty of it. And the barrier was so thick that if they tried to walk past it without the help of some equipment, the bats would go crazy and start messing with their heads. Before they would know what was happening, they would find their selves lost somewhere in the woods.

But Yukio did something unexpected. He seemed to be preoccupied with a certain item that was in his hand. Somehow, he was able to continue straight through the barrier without being affected by the the bats. Not a minute later, Keitaro was staring face to face with his brother. Somehow, his brother had fooled the barrier. Yukio gave his shocked brother a wicked smile and gave him a slight wave.

"Hello, Bro," Yukio said. "Did you miss me?"

Before Keitaro could make a move, the soldiers raised there rifles and pointed them straight at him. Keitaro wasn't to phased by the weapons that were pointed at him. Or he was just very good at hiding any fear inside him.

"I really expected more from you, Little brother," Yukio said, looking past Keitaro at the Maaka mansion. "You led me right to the vampire's front doorstep. Those vampire barriers are so amazing. I can't believe I was never able to see this place before."

"Yukio, think about what you are doing," Keitaro said, trying to reason with him. "You can't kill the Pushuke."

"Not only will I kill your little girlfriend, but I'm going to make a scene of her so that all the world's vampires know not to mess with Cross Organization." Yukio walked up to his little brother. "What's wrong, Keitaro? Did you finally find a piece of demon ass that you liked."

"Screw you," was all he could say. "You aren't going to get near her as long as I'm around."

"Well that's just fine. Because these soldiers and I are here to kill you as well. I give the word, and all four of these fine men will open fire on your scrawny ass."

Keitaro may have been Yukio's half brother, but Yukio had always despised him. The truth was, Yukio would have loved nothing more than to kill Keitaro himself. Now was his chance. Keitaro was in a deep situation and nothing he could say would help him here. But that's when an idea came to mind. It may not be much, but it just may save his life.

"If you shoot me here, the sound will likely wake the vampires that you are so desperate to kill," he said, keeping calm. "How do you plan to kill an entire family of fully active vampires while on their own territory? You need them asleep so that you can take them out silently."

"Do you think I'm afraid of some stupid demon vampires?" Yukio hissed.

"Yes I do, Big brother. You've already seen what one of these vampires can do by herself. These wonderful soldiers here won't last two seconds."

Keitaro could tell that he was getting through to the soldiers. They were glancing away from their rifles at one another. Keitaro may be talking some sense.

"Um...Sir," one of the soldiers muttered. "He does have a point."

"Shut the hell up," Yukio hissed. He pulled out his trusty combat knife and held it up to his brother's neck. Keitaro gulped down his fear. "I could also kill you nice and quietly, Keitaro. Knives don't make all the loud sounds that a weapon does."

"Then maybe I should just yell out now. Given that the vampire family doesn't already know that your coming."

Yukio glanced around at the nearby trees to all the bats that were sitting on the branches. For all he knew, one of the Maaka clan could be watching him through one of those bats. The longer he stayed out in the open, the more likely he was to be seen.

"You can't stay with the vampire's forever, Keitaro," Yukio said, angrily. "I've got nothing but time. But now I know where the barrier is. If you so much as leave the vampires' side I will be all over them."

Yukio turned to his men and motioned for them to leave. He waited until they had gone back through the barrier, before speaking to his brother alone.

"You want to know how I was able to get past the barrier, little brother?" Yukio asked. He showed Keitaro the thing that he had been holding. It was another tracking device. But this one had ancient vampiric markings on it and seemed much more primitive. "The same way your dear old dad knew we were at the library that one night. All it needed was something of yours."

He pulled open his coat to show Keitaro's pistol in his belt. Keitaro just glanced at it.

"How does it feel, Yukio?" he asked. "Knowing that you are so close to the vampires but can't touch them?"

"It doesn't bother me one bit," Yukio said, smiling wickedly. "I planned on something like this happening. But mark my words, Little Brother. I will get my prize. You know just as well as I do that this will never end."

"Sounds more like a challenge to me," Keitaro replied.

"See, a smart half-blood like you should know that I could kill you right now and leave the Maaka clan for another day. But I have better plans in mind, and that little Pushuke in there is bringing me so many vampires to kill. If I kill her now, the vampires will have no reason to attack the city, and I won't have a reason to kill."

Yukio turned his back on Keitaro and left his brother inside the Maaka barrier. Keitaro was being used by his brother now. And so was Kanon for that matter. Yukio wanted the war to happen. That had always been his plan. With the war, he would be able to kill as many vampires as he wanted and nobody would stop him. That was the only reason he was leaving Keitaro alive...for the moment.

* * *

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I really hated writting it and was kind of backed into a corner storywise. It took me a few days to figure out how to make this chapter work and I think I may have pulled it off. It's the main reason why it's short. Hope you enjoy


	41. Embarrassment 40

Embarrassment 40: Trapped

* * *

Keitaro was now in a new situation. Now that his brother knew where the Maaka's mansion was, there was no way that he could leave. He was right where Yukio wanted him to be. Right with the enemy. It was like he was playing a game of Risk, knocking back all the enemy pieces into one location where you could easily keep track of them and take them out if necessary. With the war just around the corner, Yukio was hoping to use the Maaka clan as bait for the other vampires.

_Damn, Yukio,_ Keitaro thought to himself. _I knew he despised vampires but I never thought he would go to these extremes to kill them all._

Keitaro had no way of explaining all of this to the Maakas. Kanon may have accepted him, but the rest of the Maakas probably felt the same way as Anju did. He was a hunter after all. He had planned to stay away from all of them, including Kanon. The less they knew about him, the better. But Kanon had to keep interfering and putting her own life in danger. She was just to innocent for him not to help her, but he had to remember that it was because of her that he was in this situation right now.

Keitaro did the only thing he could think of doing. He was going to have to play along with his brother for the time being. Maybe he could get the Maakas on his side and end this war before it even begins. It was a long shot, but it was his only choice. Sighing, he glanced back at the mansion. At least Kanon would be happy to see him again already. But what will he do if the Maakas try to kill him? What then?

Kanon was sitting in the kitchen having a last meal before bed when she heard the knock at the door. She already guessed it was him before she answered the door. Keitaro was silent when he saw her. In his mind he was trying to figure out how to tell her about his situation. She immediately opened the door wider so that he could enter. She already knew that something was wrong.

"Yukio knows where you live now," Keitaro said, sitting down on her staircase and putting his head in his hands.

"What does that mean for you?" Kanon asked.

"It means I can't leave your family alone anymore. Yukio won't attack as long as I'm near you. He's using your family to start the vampire war."

"Why would he want to start a war with other vampires?" Kanon asked.

"My brother despises all vampires and calls them fanged demons. But my father's organization doesn't kill vampires for no reason. Yukio is using this war as a reason for him to wipe all the vampires off the face of the earth."

"I don't get it?" Kanon said, quite puzzled.

Keitaro shook his head. "Keep up with me, Kanon. The vampires are starting this war to get to you. As long as your living the vampires will attack."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I...I don't know," he replied honestly. "I was hoping that I could stay here for a day or two."

Kanon immediately thought about what Anju had last told her. She had made a promise to get rid of Keitaro before nightfall. But she owed Keitaro this much at least. He was trying to help her. To throw him out on the street would not only be bad for her, but him as well. In the end, Kanon told him that it would be alright, on one condition. He would have to talk with the rest of her family.

She offered him some food and he complimented her on her cooking abilities. She said that her mother taught her everything that she knew about cooking. Her father always seemed to be a lousy chef. Little did Keitaro know, Kenta was in the kitchen and heard everything that Kanon had said. She looked over to him and blushed when she realized she had embarrassed him. He just gave her a smile and sat in a chair. She kind of wish he wouldn't linger around her at a time like this.

Kanon did offer him her bed, but he denied politely. He had to much dignity to sleep in her bed. Just the thought made him go slightly red. Even though he tried to hide it, Kanon was able to see it. She liked the fact that Keitaro acted his age when he was around her. When she had first met him, she could have sworn that he was at least twenty-five, if not older. But Keitaro was starting to calm down around her and she liked that. Secretly, he did too.

Keitaro did end up posting up in a comfortable chair in the corner of Kanon's room. Kanon left him in the room for a few moments and came back in with pink pajamas on and her hair let down. Once again, she could see him blushing when he saw her. She really was a cute young girl. Keitaro wished that he could have known Kanon before all of this. He didn't see her as a half-vampire or as a Pushuke. What he saw was the young teenage girl that Kanon really was. Simple, pretty, normal. He could never bring himself to tell her this, but it was how he truly felt about her.

Kenta was in the room too and stared Keitaro down like a wolf. _"Don't get any funny idea's with my daughter, boy."_

Kanon heard her father and laughed softly. Her father was way too overprotective, even in the afterlife. I guess it couldn't be helped.

"You really have gotten used to living in the world of night," Keitaro commented as the girl got into bed.

"My whole family has to live in the dark," Kanon said. "I thought that instead of trying to change them, I'd just change myself."

"Do you miss it?"

Kanon was confused. "Miss what?"

"Living in the human world?"

"Well...sometimes." She paused. "But then I never would have met you."

She rolled over and fell asleep, leaving him feeling very awkward. He truly wondered what she thought about him. But to leave him on that comment, she had definitely hit home. He didn't know how to respond to it.

It wasn't long before Keitaro himself had fallen asleep. The hours passed like minutes and before long, it was night. Anju was the first one to exit her coffin and she automatically smelt the stench of Keitaro in the house. He was still here. She absentmindedly started twisting the head of Boogie, causing the doll to scream and pain.

_"Ow ow ow!"_ Boogie screamed. _"What the hell did I do to deserve this?"_

"Sorry, Boogie," Anju apologized, realizing what she was doing.

_"It's that boy, isn't it, Anju? You really couldn't expect your stupid niece to get rid of him, did you?"_

Without replying, Anju summoned one of her bats to her shoulder and walked out the door and down the hall to Kanon's room. Not only was Keitaro still in the house, but he was in Kanon's room. Anju slowly opened the door and looked inside. Kanon was passed out in her bed. She seemed to be peaceful. And there was Keitaro, asleep in the chair like a little child. Anju eyed the hunter with venom in her eyes.

_He's definitely not injured anymore and came to the chair on his own accord,_ Anju though, examining him like a strange species. _But why is he still here?_

From this distance, Anju could smell a very familiar aroma coming off the hunter. Her senses never failed her and it appeared that Keitaro had the blood that her body liked. She felt her fangs grow as she studied her prey.

_I wonder what he tastes like,_ Anju thought. _He leads such a lonely life, this hunter._

She wanted to bite him but held back the urges. Actually, to be frank, she was holding back the urge to kill him as well. Keitaro may have been asleep but he could sense that there was someone near him. Call it a hunters instincts. He quickly opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with Anju.

"You really do want to kill me," he said, smiling at her slightly.

"It's crossed my mind," Anju said softly, glaring at him. "What are you still doing her, Hunter."

"Protecting your niece."

"You don't have to be here to do that, hunter," she replied. "You shouldn't be here."

"If I leave now, Anju, your family will be dead before the sun rises. You have to trust me here. I'm not trying to harm your family."

"You lie."

Over the years, Anju had stopped liking all humans. She felt like it was the humans that took her sister away from her. But mostly it was because it was her vampire instincts. Keitaro may have been a half-blood, but he was close enough to a human for her. She didn't want anything to do with him and he knew it. But he had to win their trust. Slowly he reached out a hand for her to shake. She just stared at him, confused.

"It's called a handshake, Anju," he replied. "I want to make a truce."

Anju glanced over to her niece that was still sound asleep in the bed then back to Keitaro. He wasn't lying to her, that much she knew. She could tell that by the look in his eyes. Finally, she reached out her small hand and shook his. It was slow and there was much tension between the two of them, but it was just one step closer to winning the Maaka's trust.

* * *

Chapter 40 done and so is part 4. Thank god. I think that this part ended quite decently, not with a huge twist like the other parts. I do have some news. I've been doing the math in my head and this story may be a tiny bit longer than I first said. I think I may add in a part seven. No promises yet, but since I have so many people reading this, I honestly don't think anyone will complain. I don't know when I'll start part five but I hope to see some good reviews. Thanks.


	42. Embarrassment 41

Embarrassment 41: The Decision

* * *

Karin was the second of the family to awake. It was odd but ever since she had been turned into a full vampire, her entire body had changed to cope. She almost already forgot about her old life. She was still as emotional as ever, but for the most part, she even thought like a vampire and saw humans a little differently.

The family had a mixed reaction when they found out that Karin was finally one of them. Carrera and Henry couldn't have been prouder of their daughter but didn't say much after the first night. Ren had less reasons to make fun of his sister now. All he could say was that it was about time that his misfit sister became a little normal. Elda was ecstatic that her favorite granddaughter was finally a proper vampire.

Anju seemed to be the only one who didn't say anything about Karin becoming a full vampire, which surprised Karin most of all. She was expecting her younger sister to be happy that now she could be closer to Karin. But Anju was spending a lot of time with Kanon and payed little attention to the rest of the family. It wasn't too odd that Anju was separating herself from everyone else but she seemed to have taken it upon herself to look after Kanon.

Karin sat up in her bed and her nose immediately picked up the foreign scent in the house. Out of curiosity, she got up and followed the scent to the family room where Anju was seated across from a strange man.

"Good evening, Big Sister," Anju said, giving Karin a soft smile.

Keitaro quickly looked over the couch at her. This was the first time he had ever seen Karin. He was surprised by how much Kanon looked like her mother. The thing that struck him as odd was the fact that Karin had fully grown fangs and red eyes. He had been told that Karin was no different from a human now, but this didn't seem to be the case. Keitaro had no clue that Kanon was responsible for Karin being a awoken vampire.

"Anju," Karin said nervously, eying Keitaro as she entered the room, "who is this?"

"My name is Keitaro Cross," Keitaro replied, standing up and bowing before Karin. "It's nice to finally meet you, Karin Usui."

He was trying to be as nice as he could with all the members of the house. Karin blushed slightly because he was treating her with so much respect. However Anju had to break up the mood in the room.

"He's a hunter," Anju said immediately.

"A hunter?" Karin said, confused. "You mean like a vampire hunter? Why is he in our home?"

"That's a good question," Henry said from behind Karin. No one had seen him enter the room. He walked up to Keitaro and lifted the boy up by his shirt. "Your the one that has been causing all the trouble for my family. How did you get in here?"

_"You're gonna get it now, Hunter,"_ Boogie blurted out from Anju's lap.

Keitaro wasn't afraid, though. He had been in a lot worse situations and he knew that the Maakas weren't going to be thrilled with him being around. But he had no other choice.

"I'm not here to fight you, Sir," Keitaro said.

"That's a likely excuse!" Henry said, lifting him up higher without any trouble.

Keitaro wondered if he'd be able to survive the force of being thrown by a vampire. It wasn't worth waiting and finding out. He looked over to Anju for assistance, but she was looking up at him from the chair with a smile plastered on her face. She knew that this was going to happen to him. She was probably waiting to see what he would do.

Upstairs, Kanon was awoken by the commotion. It took her all of two seconds to realize that Keitaro wasn't in the room. She quickly got out of bed and ran downstairs to see what was going on.

"Grandpa!" Kanon screamed, when she saw him holding Keitaro three feet above the ground. "Let him go!"

"Kanon..." Keitaro mustered, a bit short of breath. Henry was practically hanging him by his shirt and cutting off his flow of air.

"Kanon, this hunter is the one who is after you," Henry said, still holding onto Keitaro.

"No he isn't, Grandpa!" Kanon yelled. "Keitaro is my friend."

"You're friend?" both Henry and Karin asked in unison.

"Please put him down, Grandpa," Kanon continued.

Henry sighed and put Keitaro down.

"Thank you," Keitaro told Kanon, fixing his shirt. "For a moment their, I thought I was a goner."

_"Damn, and I thought your father would kill him too,"_ Boogie told Anju.

"Papa has never harmed a fly," Anju said gloomily. "The hunter was never in any real danger."

Keitaro highly doubted that. Henry looked like he was about to chuck him through the wall any second. Anju was probably hoping for just that.

"How do you know this boy, Kanon?" Karin asked.

Kanon didn't feel like telling her that the first time she had met Keitaro was when he tried to kill her. She had kind of blocked out that memory herself. Instead she told her mother about when Keitaro protected her from the soldier back at the library. She looked to Anju and gave her a look that begged her aunt not to say anything. Anju kept quiet.

"You saved her?" Karin said, looking to him.

"I had to," Keitaro replied.

"Why would a vampire hunter like you care what happens to my granddaughter?" Henry asked, taking a seat in the chair.

"Do I really need a reason?" Keitaro said. "If I didn't do something, you would be burying your granddaughter next to your son-in-law."

Probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. Karin looked at him with pleading eyes.

"What do you know about Kenta?" she asked softly.

"I know who killed him," he replied. "I'm sorry, Karin. My brother, Yukio, was the one who shot your husband. He killed him to get to your daughter. But Kenta wouldn't sell out the one person he loved more than anything in the world. Yukio pulled out a gun and killed him."

"Papa...was trying to protect me?" Kanon said from the doorway. She stared off into space. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want to upset you, Kanon," Keitaro replied.

Anju gave Keitaro a glare that made him feel uneasy. Talking about Kenta didn't seem to be the right approach. It seemed that Karin and Kanon still hadn't fully recovered from what had happened to him. If he didn't change topic soon he was going to lose any hope of winning the Maakas' trust. He really didn't have a choice but to tell them what was really happening.

"Look, Mr. Maaka," he started. "I used to work for Cross Organization. My father sent my brother and I here to exterminate your entire family."

"What did we ever do?" Karin asked.

"Your family is the cause of a great struggle amongst the vampire race. Hundreds of vampires are on their way to Tokyo right now to kill you and take Kanon for themselves. They know what she is and since vampires are no longer fertile, they will do anything to continue their generation. You see how this could cause a problem for us. Many vampire clans talk about taking human hostages in order to entice you out of hiding."

"That's impossible," Henry replied. "We would have known something like this was going to happen."

"You haven't been to the vampire meetings in over fifteen years. How could you have known?"

"What does this have to do with the hunters coming for us?" Anju asked softly.

"Our company has been protecting the balance between humans and vampires for a long time. But when we found out that the balance may be broken, my father sent me to take out the cause... your family, mainly Kanon."

"So why are you helping us, hunter?" Henry asked.

"I have a name, you know." He was sick of everyone calling him hunter. "I helped Kanon because no one else would. Cross Organization is wrong. They can't stop this just by taking out the Pushuke. If anything, they're going to make things worse."

He paused a moment and looked over to the doorway, Kanon was watching the family's reaction.

"I vowed to protect Kanon from everyone and was kicked out of Cross Organization. They used me to get to you and now my brother knows where you are."

"You lead them here?" Karin asked.

"Not intentionally. Yukio is using your clan to start the war, because then vampires will be free game for him. But if I leave Kanon's side, he will attack, and he will kill all of you."

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Keitaro and Kanon both watched the Maakas' reactions, waiting for their response. It was very tense and when Henry finally spoke, it didn't get much better.

"You can't stay here," he straight out said.

"Papa!" Karin yelled. "What about us?"

"It's too dangerous, Karin. How can we trust a hunter?"

"He saved my life, Grandpa," Kanon said in Keitaro's defense. "Please, Grandpa."

"But Kanon..." Henry whined. He could tell that his granddaughter genuinely trusted Keitaro. If he denied this boy it might cause problems.

Anju stood up and walked over to Keitaro. "If you hurt Kanon, I will kill you, Hunter."

Keitaro smiled. "I give you my word."

Anju had basically told Keitaro that it would be okay if he stayed, at least for now. She left him after his promise and left the room. She had nothing more to say to him. Henry couldn't say anything. He was obviously outvoted in the house. Even Karin seemed to be on his side.

"Karin," Henry said softly. "Could you leave me alone with the hun...I mean Keitaro for a minute?"

"But..." Karin started.

It was no use. She got up from her seat and motioned Kanon to follow her out of the room. Kanon just gave one last look back at Keitaro before leaving.

"I hope you mean well," Henry said when they were gone.

"Yukio knows where you live now and the vampires are coming to get you. How did a vampire like yourself not know this was happening?"

"After we rescued Karin fifteen years ago, we were thought of as traitors by the other clans. Nobody wanted anything to do with us and called us hordes of the Pushuke. We knew that Kanon would be the same so we strengthened our barrier and cut ourselves off from the other vampires."

"I with put my soul into protecting Kanon. But you know that someday, she is going to have to make the choice. I hope you realize that. You can't keep her locked away forever."

"I fear that day every time I see her."

Keitaro shuttered. Deep down, so did he.

* * *

Thank you for waiting. I seemed to have thrown another mystery there at the end. But I'm still deciding if I want the war to actually happen. Here's how I see it, If I start the a war between vampires and humans the story will lose focus of where it originally started. I mean a few attacks here and there is okay...but a full out fight. However, if I don't start it, people are going to think I wasted their time talking about it for eight chapters straight. I guess I'll have to think out my options but I'd really like an opinion from my readers. Either way, the story is going to end the same way and a lot of the chapters won't change. But please please please, help. Thanks.


	43. Embarrassment 42

Embarrassment 42: Keitaro's Sacrifice

* * *

After Karin and Kanon left Keitaro to talk with Henry, Karin took her daughter to the kitchen to make some food. Even though Karin's taste buds didn't react to food anymore she was still an amazing chef. That wasn't saying that she didn't miss eating human food. She often complained that it was the only thing that she missed about being a human.

The biggest problem was that money was going to run out soon. Karin had sold her old house and moved back in with the rest of the Maakas, but she also had to quit her job at Julians. It was quite unexpected seeing as she had become manager and had worked there for so many years. Then out of nowhere she comes in just before closing time and says she can't work there anymore. Now money for food and electricity at the Maaka house was slowly dwindling. Kanon was just waiting for her fifteenth birthday so that she could get a job.

Another reason why Karin wanted to get a minute alone with her daughter was so that she could talk to her about the vampire hunter that was in the next room. She was silent the entire time she made food, trying to think of how to talk to her daughter. Kanon was sitting at the table in the kitchen patiently and could tell that something was on Karin's mind. She didn't say anything though because she was wondering what her grandfather and Keitaro were talking about. Why couldn't she be in the room with them? She was a little nervous for Keitaro's safety at this moment. There was a lot of tension in the room with him and if she hadn't been there to back him up, he would never have survived.

_Think about it for a second,_ she thought to herself. _Keitaro is a trained hunter, not just some other kid. He'll be fine alone._

But even as she thought about that she was still nervous. She didn't see Keitaro as the killer that everyone else saw him as. Maybe it was because she just didn't want to think of him as one. When he was around her, he would start to act more his age, not like he was a professional. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was protecting her. It was because she knew that he would be a person outside the family that she could go to in a time of need. Better put... a friend.

"Kanon," Karin said, putting a plate of curry and rice in front of her daughter, "how well do you know this boy?"

"I told you, Mama," Kanon replied. "He's just a friend. He saved me a couple of times so I owe him my life."

"It's just that I don't trust him. When I was your age, Kanon, Mama and Papa used to tell me stories about vampire hunters. There not the best people for friends."

"Mama, you don't know anything about him. He's not like that, okay."

Karin shook her head. "I want to believe you, that's why I'm okay with him staying here."

Kanon took a bite of her food. It was still as tasty as ever. She was about to say something else when Keitaro walked into the room. Both she and Karin looked at him.

"Oh, Mrs. Usui," he said when he saw Karin. "Do you mind if I have a word with Kanon?"

Karin looked to her daughter for a moment and caught eyes before she left the room, leaving them alone. At least she trusted her daughter enough for that. Keitaro waited for her to leave the room before taking a seat at the table with Kanon. Kanon offered him some curry but he declined. He wasn't in the mood to eat just yet.

"What did Grandpa say to you?" Kanon asked after taking another bite.

"Your grandfather understands the situation with my brother and is going to let me stay here under one condition. When this is all said and done, I have to get my memory wiped of this place so that I can't ever come back."

Kanon dropped her spoon. "That's so unfair."

"No. It's fine, really. It was either that or I leave now. I have no other choice but to protect you, Kanon. If it means I have to get my memory wiped when it's all said and done... I guess I'm fine with that."

He was lying and she knew it. He didn't want his memory messed with. How could her grandpa be so insensitive to him? She wouldn't stand for it.

"Does that mean when all this is over, we won't be able to see each other again?" she asked sadly.

"I probably won't even remember who you are," he said slowly. It didn't sound like the best answer but it was the truth. "But it's okay, Kanon. You are special. You don't need me to be a bother for you forever. Once this fighting is all over with, you'll be able to go back to your happy life and won't have to worry about me."

Kanon looked down at her plate. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes. _But I don't want that. I like being around Keitaro. I don't want to leave him and I don't want him to forget about me. I've already lost too many people in my life._

It was then when Keitaro reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone that he had been holding onto for a while. He placed it on the table and slid it over to Kanon. She immediately recognized the pink cellphone as her own.

"You left the phone in the park that one night," Keitaro said. "I've been meaning to give it back to you."

Kanon smiled. "Thank you, but Anju got me a new phone just a couple of days ago. Tell you what. Why don't you keep this one, Keitaro. Then we can keep in contact."

Back when Keitaro was knocked out by Yukio, his own cellphone had been taken away. So he needed one. He was a little hesitant to take Kanon's phone, but he took it. To him, it would be a memento of Kanon.

"You want to get out of here?" Keitaro asked her. He didn't like staying in the house.

"Are we allowed to leave?" Kanon asked.

"Of course. My brother isn't going to attack you as long as he thinks you can start a war for him. As long as I'm around you, he isn't going to do anything."

"What about Mama and the rest of the family?"

Keitaro laughed. She cared so much about her family. "It's okay. Anju is going to have her bats watch all the parts of the barrier. And now that I have a cellphone, if something happens, they'll be able to get hold of me easily."

Keitaro had already thought this out pretty well. Kanon quickly did the dishes and ran upstairs to her room to put get ready. In the meantime, Keitaro waited downstairs at the bottom of the stairs for her. He was staring off into space when he realized somebody else was watching him. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"You are to predictable, Anju," he said, turning to see her in the shadows. Her doll wasn't with her this time. "You're going to have the bats watch me aren't you?"

Anju didn't reply.

"I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay here," he continued. "Hopefully this will be over quickly and I'll be out of your way forever."

"Why are you okay with getting your memory wiped, Hunter?" Anju said.

He was surprised that she already knew about this. "I guess we all have to make sacrifices at some point and time. I told you, Anju, right now the only important thing is making sure Kanon is safe. Once it's over, there's no need to remember any of it."

"That's what you think," Anju replied. "But I know that you are lying to me, Hunter. You do care and you aren't just helping her because it's your job. There's another reason."

Like always, she left him without saying anything else. He had no clue what she was talking about. But he didn't have too long to think about it. Kanon came downstairs and they left the mansion together. Keitaro watched as a couple of bats followed them. Not just Anju was watching him. No surprises there. But like he said, he would have to make sacrifices. Hopefully, he was making the right ones.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews on the last chapters. I think that I know how to do the end of the story now. Hopefully, it works out.


	44. Embarrassment 43

Embarrassment 43: A Night Alone

* * *

Ever since Yukio had found out where the Maakas lived, he felt like he was on top of the world. Everything was going just as planned. Now that he had his brother on a leash and the Maaka family in his hands he could do whatever he wanted. And what he wanted more than anything was a war. It will finally be his chance to eliminate the vampire race once and for all. Then, once they were gone, he would walk up to the Maaka's front door and kill every last one of them. He would save his brother and the Pushuke till the end. That way they could see once and for all that Yukio was the greatest hunter that ever lived.

It was right about the time that Yukio was going off to bed that he got a phone call telling him that his brother was seen leaving the Maaka barrier with Kanon Usui. They were wondering if they should pursue him. Nobody knew of Yukio's plans. He had no intention of killing the Maakas just yet. Not when he was so close to his goal. He told the soldier to remain in hiding. He said that Hotaru had changed the orders and the Pushuke was not to be harmed until he gives the word.

"Why the hell are we watching them, then?" the soldier hissed into the phone. "And why the hell aren't you out here, keeping an eye on them?"

"Because it's your job, idiot," Yukio replied. "And for your information, our job is to make sure the Maaka clan doesn't try to get away in the night."

"What about this war thing? Wasn't the whole reason we were out here was to kill the Pushuke and prevent some war?"

"Well orders change, dumb ass. Stop questioning them and remain at your post. If Kanon comes back alone, you can kill her then. So stop complaining."  
Yukio hung up the phone on the hunter and rolled over in his comfortable bed, passing out within just a couple of minutes. He was happy that his brother was playing his game. Not that he had much of a choice. Yukio just loved being in charge.

Keitaro had already scoped out the hunter in a matter of minutes. It just confirmed that Yukio had put up a perimeter around the Maaka barrier. If he hadn't been with Kanon he would try taking down the soldier. Kanon may think that she was safe, but Keitaro knew that it wouldn't be long before his brother would get tired of waiting. What would he do then?

"Where do you want to go, Keitaro?" Kanon asked.

"I know this secluded beach that I used to go to when I was little. If you want, we could go there."

"I would love to," she said, smiling.

Kanon had no clue why Keitaro was being so nice to her, nor did she care. She felt special being near him. Back when she was in school she had quite a few friends. But she had never had one quite like Keitaro. It may have been because of the way she met him or the circumstances they were in. But Keitaro made her feel like her old self. She wasn't a half-vampire when she was around him. She was Kanon Usui.

_But if Keitaro wasn't forced to be around me,_ Kanon thought as they waited for a bus to pick them up, _would he still be this nice to me? What does he really think about me? He told me that he didn't need friends. I may be just a bother to him._

The bus took them to the far end of Tokyo. Further than Kanon had ever been away from home before. They were silent the entire ride but it wasn't an awkward silence. Kanon herself couldn't think of anything to say to Keitaro. She was just loving the peace. But it wasn't long before she could feel her blood increasing. The only other person on the bus was Keitaro. She looked to him and noticed he was starring intensively out the window at the city of Tokyo. No, he was staring at just one building. She followed his gaze to a small house just a block away.

"What place is that?" Kanon asked, without realizing it.

Keitaro realized that his anger was probably causing Kanon's blood to boil. He could tell she was having a hard time by the way her hand was clutched tightly near her chest and her breathing was a bit more rapid.

"Sorry," he replied.

"No, no, it's okay," Kanon said, shaking her head. "I'll be fine."

"That building is my home...or at least it once was," Keitaro said, looking back out the window. "My father is probably there right now, wondering if I've been killed yet."

Just him saying that made her heart pound. It really hurt but she tried to shake it off. Keitaro noticed it though.

"I'm sure he's not that bad," Kanon said, trying to calm him down.

"Not that bad? He's the one that placed the order for me to be killed, Kanon." He knew he was angry but he couldn't hold back. "What kind of father throws his son out like that? He doesn't care about me and resents me for who I am. I... I hate him."

"Keitaro..." Kanon said, looking at him sadly.

He looked at her and noticed that his anger must really be bothering her vampire senses. It had to be anger that her body was attracted to. He had so much anger built up in him over the past few years he was a danger being around Kanon. He reached out his hand and took hold of hers, completely catching her off guard.

"I'm sorry, Kanon," he said softly. "You don't deserve to feel the pain I live with."

"Keitaro..." she repeated, looking him in the eyes with a weak smile.

"_I know that you are lying to me, Hunter,"_ Anju had said to Keitaro,_ "You do care and you aren't just helping her because it's your job. There's another reason."_

Why was Keitaro helping her. It was just a job. He was doing it because she was the most important vampire in the world. She was important to the survival and continuation of all vampires. That's why he was saving her. Keitaro, being a half-vampire, was already sterile and he knew it. So he had no need for her blood. But she was important to the other vampires of the world. That was the only reason...right?

But as Keitaro stared into Kanon's innocent, red eyes, he wondered if he would have treated her the same if she wasn't the Pushuke. Would Kanon even matter to him then? Would he have pulled the trigger on her that day? These were questions that he didn't have the answer to.

Kanon's blood increasing returned to normal by the time the bus pulled up to their stop. Keitaro wondered if she should inject somebody just to be safe but she shook her head. She didn't want to feed unless she had to. Plus she said that her blood problem was under control. Keitaro highly doubted it.

"It's not a good idea for you to hold out for so long," he said to her. "It might be bad for your health."

"Even if you say that, don't you try holding out on biting people?"

"I'm a different case. I don't increase in blood like you do."

Kanon teased him. "You're lucky. You only have to feed once a month. I'm a half-vampire and I can never tell when I have to."

"Yeah, but on that day that my body decides that I need blood, sunlight burns me like any normal vampire. Plus, when I try and deny my body blood, it starts to get extremely weak and I get bad headaches. In the end, I have to find a person to bite."

"I didn't realize you had it so hard," Kanon said immediately.

Kanon felt like she was getting into Keitaro's personal life. But he seemed to be so open around her. Even though she didn't want a war to happen because of her, she didn't want Keitaro to leave her. Why did he have to get his memory erased? He had no other interest in the Maaka family. Getting his memory erased wouldn't make things any better.

She tried not to think about it for the night. It wasn't that hard as she saw the beach that Keitaro was talking about. The beach was in a little cove at the bottom of the hill. It seemed to be hidden well by the surrounding trees and cliffs. The water was crystal clear and there was an ambient yet peaceful sound as the waves crashed onto shore. The moon that was in the sky reflected off of the water and the sand, making it such a mesmerizing sight.

"Keitaro..." Kanon started, sort of at a loss for words. "It's...It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it," Keitaro said. "When I was little I used to come here to escape the world. Not many people ever come here so I was usually alone."

Kanon kicked off her shoes and socks in the grass next to a tree and sprinted across the sand to the water. Without a second's hesitation, she dove into the warm water and splashed around a bit. Keitaro just leaned on the tree and watched her with a smile on her face. Kanon wasn't going to let him get out of the fun that easily.

"Come on, Keitaro," she said, backstroking out a few meters in a playful manner. "Don't tell me you aren't going to get in."

_Might as well have some fun,_ Keitaro thought to himself.

He reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes and socks and walked up to the waterline. Kanon was dead silent. She really hadn't expected him to take off his shirt. She could see a few scars on his otherwise handsome and muscular chest. She wondered if he could see that she was blushing. Keitaro took a few steps into the water before diving in and swimming up to Kanon. Kanon hid her smile.

"See, you big dummy," she said, splashing him in the face, "the water ain't so bad."

Kanon splashed him again in a playful manner. For hours, the two teenager's swam in the water and had a blast together. Neither could remember of a time when they had had so much fun, not at least since they had awoken as vampires. It felt good to relax and throw out caution every once and a while.

Back at the Maaka mansion, both Anju and Henry was watching Keitaro and Kanon play. Karin was somewhere out feeding and Carrera was a few towns away visiting her son, Ren. Henry was on the edge with rage against the young vampire hunter.

"I swear, if he tries anything with her, I will make him wish he had never been born."

_"Ooo,"_ Boogie said, laughing, _"sounds like Henry still has problems with his granddaughter dating."_

"How could you say that?" Henry hissed at the doll in Anju's hands. "I will absolutely not have Kanon going out with a vampire hunter like that boy."

_"That's what you said about Karin. And look where that girl ended up."_

Henry basically melted at that thought. He had had the same problems with Kenta and Karin going out but he lost that battle a long time ago.

"Little niece seems to have really taken a liking to Keitaro," Anju said softly. "But I don't think Keitaro feels the same way about her. He doesn't want to get near anyone because he has always been alone. That's why he is willing to get his memory wiped."

Anju continued to watch as Henry wallowed in the corner. She didn't want her niece to fall to much for Keitaro. No matter what happens, it will end. Keitaro will be out of her life and move on like the vampire hunter he is. If only she could understand that.

By the time, both Kanon and Keitaro managed to get out of the water, they were both tired. Kanon ended up going behind a tree and taking off her clothing in an attempt to wring it out a little bit. Keitaro just sat at the shoreline and stared out at the ocean, obviously deep in thought.

"It probably would have been a smart idea to bring some dry clothes," Kanon commented before taking a seat next Keitaro in the sand. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh...it's nothing," he lied.

"Come on, tell me."

Keitaro let out a long breath. "It's just, I'm trying to figure out a way to stop this war before it happens. But at this rate, I don't think it'll be possible."

"Well, why don't we just go to these vampires and ask them to stop," Kanon replied.

Keitaro just snickered. "I don't think it's going to be that easy. I can't just walk up to them and ask them to stop chasing after you."

"Why not?"

Kanon was being totally honest with him. She really and truly believed that it was just that simple.

"For starters, I am kind of a wanted man by all vampires. I am a hunter after all."

"But they won't know who you are, will they?"

"No, but I don't want to take that chance. Plus, the vampire council will only listen to other vampires."

"But you are a vampire, Keitaro," Kanon said.

She really didn't get it.

"I'm a half-vampire who feeds once a month and can walk out in the sunlight. That doesn't make me one of them."

"Then I'll go with you. I mean, I'm the one who is making them restless. Maybe if I went with you, I could help persuade them."

Keitaro gave her a long look. "You really think that it could be that easy?"

"You never know till you try."

It may not have been the best plan in the world but it was their only plan thus far. Keitaro just couldn't allow Kanon to be harmed. Not by anyone. Hopefully this plan would work.

* * *

I'm sorry I'm not putting out many chapters this week. Very busy schedule. But on the bright side. Next week I plan to official finish Chibi Vampire: New Blood. But for now, I want to hear your comments on Kanon and Keitaro. Do you think their good together and what do you think of Keitaro? I'll post next chapter ASAP


	45. Embarrassment 44

Embarrassment 44: Karin's Offer

* * *

"Absolutely not," Henry yelled at Keitaro.

"You should really consider this, Henry," Keitaro replied calmly.

"No, no, no, no, no... a thousand times no!"

The moment Kanon and Keitaro had made it home from the beach, the idea of going to the elder vampire house to negotiate was brought up to Henry and Anju. Needless to say, both of the vampires were absolutely against the idea and wouldn't even give Keitaro a chance to explain himself.

"I told you that we haven't been to a vampire meeting in over fifteen years," Henry continued. "Our family isn't welcome at the elder house anymore."

"This isn't about a missed vampire meeting, Henry," Keitaro said. "This is about patching things up with the other vampire clans."

"I absolutely refuse to go and that's all," Henry replied.

"You and Carrera are the only vampires in this household that know how to get to the elder house. I don't need you to go inside. I just need you to show me the way."

"You'll never make it past the barrier before they kill you, Hunter," Anju said from her seat. "Once they find out who you are, you'll be killed."

"That's why I'm going with him," Kanon pitched in.

"WHAT!" Henry yelled. "You can't go out to the elder house."

"Why not?" Kanon asked

"You're the one that they're after."

"Hunter, you forgot about your brother," Anju said, standing up and walking over to him. "If you went to the elder house you'd be leading your brother right to the other vampires."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take, Anju. We can't just sit around here and wait for all this to blow over. Eventually Yukio is going to get bored and come here. Most likely with many other organization members."

"I won't allow you to put the our race in that kind of danger," Henry said.

Keitaro wasn't about to lose this argument. "They're going to be in more danger if they decide to start attacking humans. They'll be fair game for all the vampire hunters if they break the code of honor. Yukio won't be able to attack the vampire council on his own and he will never get my father's permission to attack. My father has known where the elder house has been for years. He's been invited there once. But he won't attack as long as vampires don't break the code."

"It's out of the question, Keitaro," Henry said.

Keitaro wondered if Henry had listened to a thing that he had said. Most likely not. Without Henry, this plan had already fallen through the hole. He couldn't bring this up to Carrera because she still didn't know who he was yet, or that he was in the house.

Angry that he had lost the argument, he got up and left the family room and went down the hallway to the room that Anju had told him where he would be staying. She told him that she had put a small bed in the room for him while he was out with Kanon. That was all he needed after all. He had no urges to remain in the Maaka mansion. He was a little disturbed by the fact that the doorknob on the door was nowhere to be seen and the door literally pushed open. This whole house was in dire need of repair. He was surprised that it was still standing in the condition it was in.

He pushed the door open and looked in the room to find it was really plain, dark, and the bed that was in it was cheap and old. No windows. No comfort. Shows how much Anju cared about him. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

It wasn't two minutes before Keitaro heard a knock at his door. He suspected that it was Kanon trying to come cheer him up. But he didn't need cheering up. He needed results. Every second that he sat around here was a step closer to Kanon being killed.

"Come in," Keitaro said, sitting up in his bed.

It wasn't Kanon that opened the door, rather it was Karin. He wasn't quite expecting her and thought that she had gone out to feed. She looked around the room, then at the hole in the door where the knob should have been and giggled.

"Anju put you up in this room?" she asked. "Of all the rooms it had to be this one. She must really not like you."

"The feeling is mutual," Keitaro said in a stern tone.

"Don't hate my little sister. She just isn't used to people outside of the family. She never was very fond of Kenta either."

"And what about you?" Keitaro asked. "Why don't you hate me, like the rest of the family?"

"I guess it's cause I'm not like the rest of my family," she replied. "But if you are really trying to help Kanon, you can't be all that bad."

"I just wish everyone else saw that."

Karin walked into the room and shut the door behind her. "I heard the argument you were having with Papa. Do you really think you can prevent the vampires from attacking my daughter?"

"I don't know, but Kanon seems to think it might work."

Karin sighed. She knew that Keitaro and Kanon had started to get close to one another. Even though she stayed out of her daughter's business, it was as plain as day. It was something that Karin most likely inherited from her mother. Carrera was the only one in the Maaka family who didn't spy on Karin when she was younger. She believed that Karin deserved her space.

"If you want to go to the elder house, I think I could help you out," Karin said slowly. This seemed to get Keitaro's attention. "But I don't want Kanon to go with you."

"How could you know where the elder house is?" Keitaro asked.

"I don't. But big brother Ren does. He had to go there when he got married to Bridget. A vampire can only get married before a vampire council... or so big brother says. I can get him to bring us there."

"What do you mean, 'us'."

Karin smiled. "I want to go with you. Kanon is my daughter and the only one thing I have left to remind me of Kenta."

"It's too dangerous, Karin," Keitaro said firmly, standing up.

"I feel like I've been left out of everything lately. I don't care if it's dangerous. Please, if it'll help end all of this, I want to go with you."

Keitaro sighed. He really didn't feel like bringing along a vampire like Karin. He had read the bio on her. She was most likely going to be more of a hassle then a help. Plus, Kanon would not be happy that she would have to remain around the house while Keitaro and her mother left. But Karin was the only person who would be willing to help him. After a bit of pondering, he shook hands with Karin, sealing the deal.

Outside of the room, Anju was listening in. She walked off down the hall with a smile on her face as she pulled out her cellphone and dialed up a number. The person who picked up was none other than Ren Maaka.

"Big Brother," Anju said in the phone, "I've got a favor to ask you."

* * *

This is a very short chapter but I really thought it should have ended here. BTW the room that Keitaro is staying in is the same that Yuriya was interigated in. Karin was the one who pulled off the doorhandle in the manga. A little tid bit for you. I'll probably leave a comment at the end of each of these chapters just for fun.


	46. Embarrassment 45

Embarrassment 45: Anju's Confusion

* * *

Keitaro decided to wait for a night before going to the elder house. It was a long way up north and since he was going to be traveling with a vampire, he could only go by night. But Karin refused any other way. She insisted that she went along with him. It was all because she really didn't understand how dangerous this situation was. Keitaro may need to get out of there quick, and Karin was... well... Clumsy.

A little bit later, Keitaro went to Kanon and told him of his plans. She begged to let her go with him, but he refused. He told her that he'd only be gone for two days at the most. He managed to leave out the part that her mother was the one who came up with the idea to have her stay behind. She wasn't happy with the idea but there was no sense in arguing with him.

But before anything happened, Keitaro would have to get a hold of some weapons. There was no way that he was about to go into a mansion full of vampires with just his bare hands. He would get torn up. As soon as the sun broke over the horizon and the vampires went off to sleep, he put on his shoes and left the house.

Just outside the barrier, the vampire hunter was sitting on the room of a building, about to fall asleep. He wasn't get paid enough to be put on fire watch for twelve hour shifts. Almost all of Cross Organization had been busy with all the new vampires. Many clans had been seen throughout the entire city of Tokyo and there were reports of missing people on the news. It was all getting hectic and here this hunter was, staring at where he was told the Maaka barrier was, waiting for something to happen.

It wasn't like he could even see the barrier either. Nothing ever happened. He was starting to wish that he could be out there where the other hunters were, trying to clean up the mess. The vampire war was actually finally starting and he was stuck on a roof. It wasn't long before he passed out. What was the worst that Yukio could do to him? Yell at him?

Keitaro knew exactly where he was going. He had seen the hunter on the roof last night. Taking a quick trail through the trees, he managed to leave the barrier and get to the house quickly. It was an old abandoned house at the bottom of the hill. Cheap and decrepit, like the Maaka mansion. Keitaro didn't know it but this bad excuse for a house used to be home for Kenta and his mother but was sold years ago. Kenta promised that he would be able to afford his mother a better house. Now this house was being used as a lookout point.

Quietly, Keitaro climbed up a tree next to the house and jumped on the roof, where the vampire hunter was passed out. Leave it to Yukio to give this job to somebody else. Keitaro thought of just killing the hunter and making things easier. Instead, using a little slight of hand he managed to take a few flash bangs off the soldiers belt along with his rifle, which was just lying on the ground. Without another word he left the roof, leaving the stupid hunter to his nap. When he awoke, he would have to figure out on his own where his things were.

"Easy enough," Keitaro said to himself, as he walked back up the hill to the Maaka mansion. "As soon as I'm done with the elders, the next step will be taking down Yukio."

"You should have killed him," Anju said when Keitaro opened the door to the mansion. Always spying on everyone. Keitaro was getting really getting sick of her ways. "I hope you aren't planning to use those weapons, Hunter."

"Only if I have to," Keitaro replied. "You should be happy. Now I'll be able to effectively protect your dear niece."

"Why do you act like you don't care about her?" she continued, staring him down. "She cares about you so much and you talk about little niece like she's not important to you."

Keitaro stared at the ground. "I told you it's just a job, Anju. Kanon and I could never be together. With my history, I don't deserve someone as nice as her. A girl like her has the whole world on her shoulders and she has nowhere to go. I just want her to live a normal and happy life. If that means I have to hang around her for a while and keep her company, then that's what I'll do."

"What will you do when this is all over?"

"I already told you that my memory will be erased of your entire family. It'll be like none of this ever happened. Maybe I'll be able to find a quiet life somewhere."

Keitaro didn't feel like opening up his entire soul to Anju, and left her at the bottom of the staircase. He was tired and he was going to need all of his strength for the upcoming nights. Anju didn't know how to feel. She really didn't trust Keitaro and he wasn't making things better for her. In the end, she went up the stairs and down the hall to her room.

_"Hey Girly,"_ Boogie said in a comforting voice. _"What's the news for the day."_

Anju didn't say anything at first. She just went over to her coffin and sat on the lid, completely lost in thought. She still didn't understand human emotions. The way that Keitaro and Kanon acted never made sense to her. She had seen behavior like this before in Karin and was just as confused then as she was now.

"Boogie," Anju said softly, "should I trust that boy?"

_"Who? Keitaro? Why? What has the hunter done now?"_

"Why is he so determined to be alone? I thought at first that he might have feelings for Little Niece, but now I can't be sure."

Boogie grinned as much as his body would allow. _"The hunter probably has a screw loose if you ask me. Why do you care so much about him, Anju?"_

"Don't make jokes, Boogie," she replied. "That boy is the only thing that keeps Kanon happy. But he's not going to be around her forever, and he doesn't even care. I don't think he even care what happens to him."

_"Sounds like he's just like that Kenta boy was. You're never going to figure him out, Girly. You might as well give up while you're ahead. Just let this run its course and he'll be gone. You'll never have to see him again. Kanon will get over it eventually."_

Anju didn't feel like letting go that easily. As much as she hated and was confused by Keitaro, he was still an interesting subject in her eyes. Boogie knew by the look on her face that he had wasted his breath talking to her.

_"God Anju, you need to find yourself a boyfriend,"_ he joked. Anju gave him the death stare, making him rethink his words. _"Just joking. Just joking."_

"I'm going with him and Big Sister to the elder house tomorrow," Anju continued, standing up and opening the lid of her coffin.

Boogie's mouth just fell open. _"You're what? Are you crazy, Anju? That hunter's just trying to get himself killed."_

"I don't care. I've already called Big Brother and he has agreed to show me where the elder house is." She got inside and got comfortable. "Besides, somebody has to watch over Big Sister."

Boogie was completely pissed off that Anju was doing such reckless things for no sensible reason. She wasn't going to listen to him. She never did. It was at times like this that he wondered why she even needed him.

* * *

Anju's hatred for anyone outside the family. Remind you of anyone in particular? LOL. Anyways, another tid bit. When I wrote Anju I wanted a combination of both the anime and manga version. The anime version was just too emotionless and had a lack of personality. But the anime made her younger with each chapter. If you pay attention, in the beginning she was proper and kind of scary. But throughout the story she acted younger and younger until she was talking like a normal person. Just my thinking. Anju was always my favorite and I spend a lot of time giving her a set personality.


	47. Embarrassment 46

Embarrassment 46: Ren's Remarks

* * *

By the time Keitaro awoke, he was starting to have second thoughts about the whole idea of going to the elder house. Back when he first became a vampire hunter he learned of the sacred elder house. It was the only place that Cross Organization was not allowed to know about. But Keitaro's father, Hotaru, accidentally let slip about it in front of him. He told his son that when hell befell the vampires, they would seek shelter in that house. The elder house would be the last known seclusion for all vampires.

Yukio was never told about the house, and Keitaro never mentioned it again. Yukio was smart enough to realize that the vampires had their meeting somewhere, but for their safety, he was never told where it was. Now Keitaro would be going there. He was only a half-blood, and even that he denied. In his own eyes, he was just a human. He had no idea of what to expect when going there. And the only backup that he would have if things got worse was a freshly re-awoken vampire who had no special qualities.

Keitaro was the last one in the house to awaken that night. Partly because he stayed up late during the day expecting someone to come into the room and attack him, mainly Anju. He couldn't trust her for as far as he could throw her. He slept next to his weaponry all night, with his finger on the trigger of his ESR, just in case.

When he finally made it out of the room he was surprised to see a new face in the family room. Ren Maaka. From a quick glance, he looked a lot like Henry. The way he sat in the chair was much more proper, and the way he dressed made him look like the kind of man who could get any girl he desired. He looked about thirty-two but it was obvious that he was probably much older than that. Keitaro kept his eyes on the vampire when he entered the family room.

Karin was seated across from Anju and Ren and had her back to the opening so she didn't see Keitaro enter. All three of them were in a discussion about something, but silenced as soon as they saw him enter the room. He could feel the tension and decided not to take a seat.

"So this is the hunter that has been causing all the trouble," Ren said, without so much as giving him a second look. "His human stench stinks up this entire house."

Keitaro smelled the air, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Vampires smelt no different to him than other humans did. Ren had quite a cocky attitude but Keitaro didn't sense anything dangerous in him. He was already giving off the impression that he thought he was better than everyone else.

"So, I guess you've already told him?" Keitaro asked Karin.

Karin just shook her head.

"It was me who did it, Hunter," Anju said. "I'm not going to allow you and Big Sister to go alone."

He wasn't surprised that Anju already knew about this. But now it looked like he was going to bring along more baggage. At least he knew that Anju would be able to hold her own if worst came to worst.

"Can you really get me to the elder house?" Keitaro asked Ren.

"I've only been there once, but I still know the way. The only reason I'm helping you is because I owe my little sister a favor. So if you think you'll be able to boss me around, you better think again."

"Fair enough," he replied. "Get me to the house and I'll be on my way and you can return to your loving family."

Ren snickered. "Oh man. You really think it's going to be that easy. You think you can just waltz in there and demand to speak to the council?"

"It couldn't hurt to try."

"Stupid human."

It wasn't long before the four left the mansion. Keitaro didn't even bother telling Kanon goodbye before leaving. She had locked herself in her room for some reason and was mad because he refused to let her go. She was just like her mother and didn't realize that Keitaro may get killed tonight. If he didn't have to go, he wouldn't.

The quickest way to travel to the elder house was taking the bullet train north. Even then, they probably wouldn't make it up north until late at night. They wouldn't be able to leave until the next night. Keitaro ended up paying for all four of them. He still had quite a lot of money because nobody ever cut off his funds. The entire ride, Keitaro kept himself away from the rest of the Maakas. He even bought his own cabin so that he could have privacy. The less he was around the family, the happier he would be. But in the cabin that the three vampires were staying in, they were seriously talking about Keitaro's presence.

"Why are you letting a puny human like him push you around, Anju," Ren asked.

"He's not telling me what to do, Big Brother," Anju explained. "He's doing this for our family so it couldn't hurt to help him."

"How sentimental of you. It's not like you to care about outsiders."

Anju shut up after his remark. It was mostly because she couldn't think of anything to reply to what he had said. She didn't know why she was helping the hunter. She hated him with all her heart but at the same time, she was eager to see what he would do. She sort of thought of him like a test subject. Apart from Kenta, he was the only one who was able to get close to the family without getting his memory wiped, or worse, killed.

"Brother Ren," Karin asked, "do you really think that Keitaro can persuade the vampire council."

"How am I supposed to know? He sure seems to know what he's doing. I've only met the council once and that was to get married. But I've heard story about what happens when humans go to there."

"Keitaro's only half-human though, right?" Karin pointed out. "So he should be okay, right?"

"Are you telling me that he's a half-vampire like your daughter?" he asked, quite surprised that nobody had told him before.

"He's only a half-vampire by blood," Anju commented softly. "He's denied his vampire side his entire life. In all aspects, he's still just a human."

It was a long night before the bullet train pulled into the station. It may have been only October but it was snowing hard outside. Keitaro wasn't fully sure where he was but he knew it was well out of the safety of his home. At this point, there was no turning back.

Keitaro, Anju, Karin, and Ren were amongst the very few people to get off the train and into the snow. It was freezing cold and all of the Maaka's were wearing very little. Keitaro tried to get his mind off the cold by getting used to his surroundings. From the train station they headed straight into the forest. Ren said that it would be about half a mile before they made it to the elder barrier.

"Only vampires are able to pass through this barrier," Ren said. "It's not like any other vampire barrier. Tracking devices won't work."

This got Keitaro thinking about his brother, Yukio. Right now, his brother was probably monitoring where he was. He was doing something idiotic by giving away the location of the elder house to the one man who wanted to kill all vampires. But this could be his one and only chance to end this mindless fighting. Then he would personally go after his brother.

"Anju," Keitaro said, not looking her in the eyes. "If you hate me so much, why are you so eager to help me. I could do this by myself and nobody would have to worry."

Anju didn't respond. Honestly, she didn't know what to say to him in response. Karin looked down at her little sister and thought of the answer herself.

"Anju's not here to help you," Karin said, catching eye contact with her little sister. "She here for her own family. All three of us are. I guess we know that there may be no other way to clear our family's name."

"Instead of whining," Ren remarked, "you should be thinking of how you're going to get away with this. The moment they smell your human stench their going to know your not with us."

Keitaro had been thinking about that. "Not if I'm your brother, Ren. Your family hasn't gone to the vampire meetings for over fifteen years. I could easily pose as another brother."

"tch. Like that'll work." He stopped and so did everyone else. "We've passed through the barrier."

Keitaro couldn't believe it. He couldn't even tell that there was a barrier to begin with. He had trained himself in being able to notice the subtle characteristics of vampire barriers in order to hunt down vampires. He had even trained himself to make out the boundaries of the Maaka barrier. But he had no clue where the elder house's barrier was. It was perfect in every single way.

And there was no doubt in hell where the elder house was. About three hundred yards in front of them was a huge and expensive mansion with bats... everywhere. Keitaro had never seen so many familiars in one place. There was a sinking feeling in his throat. He had a voice at the back of his head telling him that he was crazy even thinking of doing something like this.

"Where are you going," Keitaro wondered when he noticed that Ren had started to walk off. "You're not leaving are you?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, idiot," Ren hissed. "There's a human hotel near the vampire barrier. I'm not going back to the elder house."

"Big Brother..." Anju said softly, watching him go.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Keitaro said. "You could have just told me where it was."

"Don't get so full of yourself," Ren remarked. "If I wouldn't have come, you would have never made it past the barrier smelling like that."

Keitaro may have been trying to be a hard ass but he gave Ren a slight smile. "I guess I should say thank you."

Ren didn't reply to him and disappeared from sight. He didn't have high hopes that he would see that boy again. Nor did he care. He was a stupid and crazy vampire hunter. Nothing more. As long as his two sisters were alright, he could care less.

"You two should go with him," Keitaro said, turning toward the mansion. He wanted to get out of the cold as soon as possible. "He's the only smart one here."

"You really don't expect to make it out of here alive, do you hunter?" Anju commented, keeping in step with him.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does," Karin commented. "There not going to harm you, Keitaro."

_Kanon would have told me the exact same thing,_ Keitaro thought. _She really is the spitting image of her mother. Don't worry, Kanon, for you, I will come back._

Keitaro made that promise to himself before he got to the door. He always kept his promises.

* * *

I want to take this time to appologize for the last two chapters. Personally I feel like I rushed to get them out. They were short and quite boring, just confusing people about Keitaro. Keitaro does have feelings for Kanon, if it isn't obvious. It's just he isn't used to having someone and he feels with all the bad things he's done in the past, he doesn't deserve anything else but death. Remember Keitaro doesn't like being a hunter. Don't worry as much as this sounds like the climax of the story, it's not. I still have twelve more chapters to go and the real climax of the story is going to be good. Hopefully this next chapter will be really good. Plenty of action for you. I might slow down a little bit on my output though.


	48. Embarrassment 47

Embarrassment 47: Keitaro and the Rat

* * *

_"...And in other news, there were two more disappearances in a nearby neighbor hood. Police are still baffled by these unexplained disappearances. This time, a note was left at the family's home. The note reads, 'more people will disappear unless the pushuke is released.' Police officers refuse to comment on this..."_

"Turn that shit off," Yukio hissed before taking another swig of his beer.

The soldier stood up and turned off the television before turning to Yukio. "So I guess the vampire's really are attacking."

"No shit, dumbass," Yukio said. He leaned back in the chair, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "The demons are signing their own death warrant. They make it too easy."

"You think the police will ever catch on and figure out who's doing it?"

"They wouldn't believe it even if the vampires bit them on the neck. You give them too much credit." He paused. "Wait a minute! We didn't come here to talk about the vampires. You fell asleep on post again! Where the hell is your weapon?"  
The hunter shut up immediately. "I...um... don't know. It was taken."

"You really are pathetic. Thank you for giving my brother a weapon. You're lucky I don't shoot you myself."

"Sorry, Sir."

"Get the hell out of my room. That guns gonna come out of your paycheck."

"Yes, Sir."

The soldier quickly left the hotel before Yukio did more than chew his ass out. He was lucky Yukio didn't throw him out the window. Instead Yukio pulled out his tracking beacon and stared at it with a wicked smile on his face.

"Where the hell are you at, Little Brother?" he said.

Miles away, Keitaro gulped down his fear as he reached out a shaky hand and knocked on the big wooden doors of the elder house. Karin noticed his bodily actions and knew that he was scared out of his mind. But Anju just made it worse.

"You're not so tough now, Hunter," she muttered under her breath.

"Shut up, Anju," he said, not looking at her. "I still have this riffle under my coat. Or have you forgotten?"

"I remember. You're not doing a very good job of hiding it."

It was true. Keitaro had gotten rid of his Organization jacket, which had been designed to hide weapons. He ended up buying this coat out of a cheap shop just before boarding the train out here. It was obvious that there were bulges from the flash bang and riffle that he was poorly trying to hide. Hopefully he wouldn't have to use the weapon and nobody would notice it.

Whatever fear Keitaro had inside of him he had to hold in from this point on. The door to the elder house opened and a vampire in a tuxedo with long brown hair stood at the door. He eyed the three with a questionable glance, mainly Karin.

"A lot of clan's have been waiting for you to show up," he said to her, bowing before her. "Please, come inside."

Anju and Karin stepped inside but the vampire stopped Keitaro. Smelling the air, he gave Keitaro a dark stare. Keitaro could feel those red cat-like eyes piercing through him. He knew that he wouldn't get away with it but he was surprised they caught on this quick.

"How did a human like you find your way here?" The vampire said, gripping onto the neck of his coat tightly.

"He's not a human," Anju said, immediately.

Keitaro wasn't so much surprised by the fact that she was quick to respond, but the fact that she was helping him. Instinctively, he opened up his mouth to show two small fangs that protruded from his gums. They may be very small, seeing that he wasn't full-blooded, but it was enough to prove to the man. But the vampire wasn't fully sure.

"He stinks like a human," he said, smelling the aroma of Keitaro.

_That's the second time that I have been told that I stink like a human,_ Keitaro thought. _Do I really give off such an aroma?_

"He grew up in the human world with other humans," Anju continued. "Of course he's going to smell like a human."

"Do you know him?" the vampire asked.

"Of course," Karin chimed in. "He's my brother."

"You're brother?"

He let go of Keitaro's coat and let him inside. He was a vampire after all so he couldn't be denied entry. Keitaro managed to remain calm the entire time. But deep down, he was dead afraid that this trip would have been cut short. But when the vampire shut the door behind him, he started to breathe a little easier. At least the brother thing was working. Hopefully their wouldn't be many vampires here tonight.

"The sun will be rising in about an hour," the vampire stated, stepping in front of the door. "You may want to go downstairs. There are many other clans awaiting your arrival."

He was talking directly to Karin when he said this. Keitaro could tell that Karin was just as confused as he was.

"They were awaiting...me?" Karin asked.

"But of course, my dear Pushuke. Please do not keep them waiting."

Now it made sense. This vampire thought that Karin was Kanon. None of the vampires really knew what Kanon looked like. They had been given a description of her by another vampire and Karin matched the description. Looking at Karin, even Keitaro admitted that her daughter was the spitting image of her. Keitaro motioned for Karin to keep quiet.

"This may work out to our advantage," Keitaro whispered as they walked down the hall to the staircase. "He thinks that you are you're daughter. We could play this off to help us."

"It'll never work, Hunter," Anju replied. "If they figure out you're lying, you'll be putting Big Sister's life in danger as well."

"You're lives are already in danger just being here, Anju," he hissed. "And stop calling me Hunter while were here."

"Keitaro," Karin motioned as they neared the staircase, "if something does go wrong, how do you plan to escape?"

Keitaro shook his head. "Don't know. I never think that far ahead. If worse comes to worse I can get out during the daylight hours."

"What about us?" Anju wondered.

"I'm thinking, okay. You two came here of your own freewill. Stop complaining to me. I'm not your savior."

The three walked down the staircase into the dark underground. There were only a few lit torches on the walls. Just enough to give some light. Vampire's can't see in utter darkness. At least it was enough light for Keitaro to see fine. But the moment he was able to see the room at the bottom of the stairs, his heart almost stopped.

"That's a lot of vampires," Karin muttered.

She couldn't have been more obvious. The spiral metal staircase led down to a large rectangular room. There was a table in the center of the room with many bottles of blood. At the far end of the room was a fireplace with a very small fire burning in it. But there were a large amount of vampires in the room. Whether they were seated at the table in the center of the room, drinking glasses of blood, or leaning on the walls in deep discussion, the amount of vampires were scary. Keitaro lost track at forty-six vampires. He couldn't believe his luck. And the moment that he was in the room, all eyes were on him.

_God damn, _he thought as he looked at all the eyes staring him down, _I wish to god that I would have thought this out before coming here._

All the eyes had even made Anju nervous. She wished that she had Boogie with her. She wasn't used to this many people, even if they were vampires. Karin was the only one who seemed calm. She had spent her human life around a lot of people so this really wasn't anything new. But even she felt uncomfortable with the muttering. She heard her name said quite a few times.

There was much hushed talking as Keitaro, Anju, and Karin walked down the staircase to the other vampires. Nobody said anything to them in general, but it was obvious that they were the ones that they were talking about. Keitaro's hand slipped to the flash bang that was in his pocket. He was seriously thinking about it. But then one of the vampires spoke up.

"It's about time the Maaka clan came," a very familiar squeaky voice said from the back of the room. "But of course they don't bring the Pushuke."

Anju may not have remembered the voice that was speaking, but there was a horrible chill that went down Karin's spine. She could never forget that little voice. The short vampire pushed his way through the other vampires and showed his face. When Anju saw who it was, she felt her face go flush red with anger.

"Glark Brownlick," she hissed.

"Nice to meet you again, Karin Maaka," He said, looking at Karin with disgust. "I thought you ran off with that human boy."

"You're the one who told everyone about her daughter," Keitaro muttered.

"Oh, and who are you?" he asked turning to Keitaro. "You smell like a human."

"And you look like a short slime ball," Keitaro shot back at him.

"His name's Keitaro Maaka," Anju said, giving Glark a deadly menacing stare.

"Maaka? He's your brother?" Glark eyed the boy up and down, completely surprised with this news. "Are you telling me that the Maaka clan has another child?"

"And what's it to you, Glark?" Keitaro asked. "Why don't you tell me how you knew Kanon was alive?"

"Keitaro..." Karin asked. "What are you talking about?"

"This short rat was the one who sold out your daughter to the other vampires," Keitaro explained. "He's the whole reason this war is starting."

There was much muttering around the room. Anju had a bat summoned and up her sleeve. She was about ready to rip Glark's puny head off any second. Ever since the Brownlick clan kidnapped her older sister, she was ready to kill every last one of them. Glark was at the top of her list.

"You really don't want to start a fight here, do you?" Glark said, backing away.

Keitaro just took a step towards him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I don't know. You seem so eager to start wars here, Glark."

"Keitaro!" Karin yelled, getting some sense back into the hunter.

Keitaro looked around the room to see that the other vampires were staring him down. He was making too much of a scene and this was not the way to handle things. Taking a deep breath, he let go of Glark and turned his back on them. Glark recollected himself and gave out a slight laugh.

"I feel like I've met you before, boy," he said under his breath. "You're definitely not a Maaka."

Without warning, Keitaro turned around and swung at the vampire only to see that he had moved out of the way. He was letting his anger get the better of him and doing stupid and reckless things. He really couldn't have expected to be faster than a full fledged vampire. Now he was feeling kind of awkward.

_I'm not done with you yet, Glark,_ Keitaro thought.

After a few minutes, everything seemed to calm down. Everyone seemed to be so interested in Anju, mainly the males. She was after all, one of the last fertile female vampires. Not only that, but she was still single. Anju was backed into a corner by at least three men. She hated the attention. All the men seemed to be smothering her, while all the women gave her death stares from across the room. She really wished at this point that Boogie was with her.

Karin was getting no attention at all. Actually, she was being treated like scum. After all, she was the last Pushuke and had left instead of fulfilling her destiny. Even more so, all the other vampires believed that it was she who was holding Kanon in the shadows. They completely blamed her.

Keitaro didn't stick around that room. He was already walking around scoping out the area. He had a mission that he had to accomplish and he didn't feel like staying around for too long. Plus the longer he stayed back in that room the more likely somebody would recognize him. He for sure had seen some of those faces in the room. The moment they recognized him, he would most likely be killed.

But in all the rooms Keitaro searched, he never found the vampire council, or even a room that looked like it would be where they held their meetings. All Keitaro came upon was a ton of dark rooms with coffins, and another staircase that lead down even deeper to a prison. He really hoped that he wouldn't be thrown in there. Keitaro started to get impatient. Even Ren said that he was married before the council. So where the hell were they? Where was the Elder?

Keitaro ended up going upstairs and looking around in the rooms. That's when he came across a particular room that made him stop and stare. Near the center of the huge mansion, was a large wooden double door. He thought that maybe he had found the meeting room. But upon opening the door, he saw differently.

The first thing that popped into his mind was a church. It looked at least like one. There were many rows of pews in the circular room that all faced a inboard to a central platform. Keitaro walked into the room and looked up at the ceiling, seeing an elegant design of angels in the heavens. Kind of odd seeing that vampires weren't religious. But when Keitaro made his way to the platform in the center of the room, he was quite at a loss.

It was nothing more than a large bowl filled with water. The water was crystal clear and extremely cool to the touch. Keitaro sat down trying to figure out what this room was. But he had no clue. He was so preoccupied that when he heard a voice behind him, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"You want to know what this room is, right?" the old voice said.

In a bit of shock, Keitaro reached for his weapon and spun around to the door, pointing the weapon at the intruder. It turned out to be a very old vampire. The vampire smiled.

"Put the gun away, Vampire Hunter," the vampire said, completely catching the boy off-guard. "I'm not here to attack you."

Keitaro lowered his weapon. He was so surprised that the vampire knew who he was. "Who are you?"

"I'm the man you've been wanting to talk to, Keitaro Cross."

* * *

I promised a longer chapter. Hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of free reign on creating the elder house, seeing as the manga only spoke about it and you only ever got to see one room. This is how I invisioned it. Try and guess what room Keitaro is in.


	49. Embarrassment 48

Embarrassment 48: A Painful Reality

* * *

Kanon sat on her bed staring out the window as sunlight started to shine into her room. She had locked herself in the room all night, just talking to her father about Keitaro. Kenta may not be the same person that she remembered in life, but she still loved him all the same. She still felt he was the only person that she could truly trust.

"I wonder if Keitaro's going to be alright out there," Kanon wondered. "I don't know what I'd do if he got injured."  
"You really do like him, don't you?" Kenta asked from the chair in the corner of her room.

"Is it really that obvious, Papa?" Kanon asked, going slightly red.

Kenta smiled. Of course it was obvious at this point. All she had been thinking about all night was his whereabouts. "Kanon, if you have feelings for Keitaro, you should tell him how you feel."

Kanon immediately shook her head, going redder than ever. "I could never do that. It'd be just to embarrassing. Besides, I don't think he feels the same way about me."

"You'll never know unless you ask him," he said.

Kanon couldn't even bring herself to doing that. She did really like Keitaro at this point, but she would only let her father know that. She was afraid that Keitaro still didn't want anything to do with her. The thought made tears come to her eyes. What if Keitaro had been treating her so nicely just because he had too. She would like to think that he liked her, even as a great friend. But what if he didn't?

_Keitaro, just come back safely,_ she thought, laying down in her bed and closing her eyes.

Keitaro was at a loss for words at the moment. Somebody in the elder house knew exactly who he was. Now he was in an awkward situation, wondering if he should retaliate. The vampire was extremely calm and didn't seem to find Keitaro as a threat. Keitaro kept his finger next to the trigger of his riffle. At least until he figured out the vampire's intents.

"How do you know me?" Keitaro asked, unsteadily.

The old vampire smiled. "We've met once before, young Keitaro. But you were just a little a child."

Keitaro wasn't sure if he should believe him. "I don't remember ever meeting you. Explain yourself."

"Is that how you treat all vampires?" He breathed a heavy sigh, realizing that Keitaro wasn't going to lower his guard. "My name is Alexander Welsh, Keitaro. You probably know me as the elder vampire."

Keitaro immediately lowered his weapon. He had spent the last hour looking for the elder vampire along with the vampire council. As it turned out, the elder had found him. He put his weapon away, knowing that this vampire wasn't lying to him. The elder vampire was the oldest and most sacred of all vampires, even older than Elda. Pointing a riffle at him was signing your death warrant, even for a vampire hunter.  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Welsh," Keitaro said, bowing.

"Please, don't take it to heart," Alexander said softly. "I expected nothing less from the son of Hotaru Cross."

"You know my father?"

"But of course," he said calmly. "Hotaru is a good friend of mine. It was because of me that he started Cross Organization."

"If that's the case," Keitaro quickly said, "then you have to stop this war."

The elder laughed. Keitaro had been quick to bring up the topic. "You really are tenacious. You come all the way to the elder house, when you know that most vampires would love to kill you. All just to beg me to stop the vampires from attacking the Maakas."

"You don't understand, Mr. Welsh..."

"No," he interrupted. "You don't understand, Keitaro. These are desperate times. In a few years time, the vampire race is going to die out. The only hope rests with the Pushuke."

"There are other ways to get her," Keitaro stammered. "Kanon is not an object that you can just use and forget about. She's a person like you or me."

Alexander shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, my boy. Keitaro, the whole purpose of the Pushuke is to bring fertility to vampires. That was the whole reason they were born. I was there when the first Pushuke was born. Her name was Sophia, and she was quite a beautiful young girl. At the time, vampires were on the verge of extinction."

"I know the story of Sophia," Keitaro said, slightly annoyed.

"Then you must know that when vampires found out that her blood could prevent their destruction, a war broke out to get to her. There were some vampires that believed that her blood shouldn't be taken. They were so determined to protect her, that they threw their own lives out just to save her. They did the same as you are doing with Kanon Usui. But you do not understand how far the vampires will go if they know there is a way."

"This doesn't matter!" Keitaro yelled. "You can't break the code of honor."

"I helped write the code, boy," the elder said, taking a step towards him. "I know very well what consequences I will face. I also know that you may be the only person who can stop this war before it gets any worse."

"What..."

The elder stepped past Keitaro and got up on the platform, before turning around to him. "You should know very well that if the blood from the Pushuke is taken by force, it will be little more than worthless to us. The Pushuke's blood effect is only permanent if it is given, not taken."

He already knew what Alexander was getting at, and he hated the sound of it. "I would never do that."

"I can read your mind, Keitaro. You want nothing more than for things to go back to the way they were. You are the closest person to the Pushuke. She trusts you more than anyone in the world. If you pushed her in the right direction, you could stop all this fighting."

"And I'll be responsible for the death of an innocent girl?" Keitaro said.

"But in return, you will be responsible for saving an entire race. Is there no greater triumph? Is that not what Cross Organization was created for? The preservation of both the vampire and human race."

Keitaro knew right off the bat that what the elder was saying was true. Everything had been pointing towards this. Kanon was the Pushuke. Her whole purpose in life was to save the vampire race, but she would never do it on her own. Keitaro had the ability to change her judgment. He could tell just from talking to her that she trusted him more than anything in the world. He promised that he would protect her until she made a decision on what to do with her life, but he never wanted to be the one who would convince her.

"There has to be another way," Keitaro said softly, taking a seat in one of the pews. This was getting to hard to fathom. "I didn't come all this way for nothing."

"At this point, even if I told the vampires to stop, they wouldn't listen," Alexander said calmly. "But you know what they want, Keitaro. If you want them to stop then talk to the Pushuke."

"Her name is Kanon," he said softly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, her name is Kanon," Keitaro said louder. "She doesn't want to be called the Pushuke, and I don't want her to be called that either. Her name is Kanon Usui."

The elder gave him a gentle smile before leaving the room. Keitaro was dead silent. His brain was running a mile a minute and he felt worse than ever. He had now figured out what this room was. He was sitting in the last room a Pushuke ever sees, and if Alexander had his way, it may be the last room that Kanon ever sees. It was the sacrifice room. This was designed especially for the Pushuke. Keitaro hated this room more than anything.

_All of this,_ Keitaro thought as he stared at his feet. _All of this was a waste. Coming here. I wasted all this time. The vampires aren't going to listen to me. They never would. They have had their eyes set on Kanon ever since they found out she was alive. Nothing I could have said would have changed that. There's only one way to end this._

In the past, Keitaro wondered if he had feelings for Kanon. He believed that he never deserved her. But now that he knew he was the only one who could persuade her, he knew exactly how he felt. Kanon wasn't just a job. She wasn't just a friend either. He really liked her... No he loved her more than anyone else in the world. It took this to realize that.

Maybe he was crazy. He pushed her away from him because he was afraid that he would hurt her. But now he wished nothing more than her to be happy. She was the only person who he had allowed himself to get close too. When he was near her, he felt like he could be himself. Every time she was around, he was able to smile.

_I love Kanon. I don't care how crazy it sounds. I know I may not deserve someone as perfect as her but I don't care anymore. I want nothing more than for her to be happy._

Keitaro didn't remain in the elder house anymore. He went down to where Anju and Karin were and told them that he needed time to think. He apologized to them for dragging them all the way out to the elder house just to leave them. Karin knew something was seriously wrong with him but he would say. All he said was that he would meet them at the train station once night fell again.

"Does that mean it's over?" Karin asked Anju.

"I don't know?" Anju said, staring Keitaro down as he climbed the metal staircase and left.

Keitaro had never been so torn in his life. He knew exactly how he felt for Kanon. But how could he be the one to tell her that she would have to fulfill her destiny as a Pushuke? If he didn't convince her, things would only get worse and eventually the vampires would take her by force. Then he would be the one to blame for not doing anything about it. What could he do?

Keitaro didn't sleep the entire day.

* * *

I'm sorry. I originally had an action scene decided for this chapter between the vampires and Keitaro. But when I came to it, I could bring myself to write it. This chapter was just so sad that adding an action scene would destroy it. If you think that I did it wrong, tell me. But I love this chapter more than anything. Can you see where this story is going? Just be ready for a surprise at the end of part 5


	50. Embarrassment 49

Embarrassment 49: Losing it

* * *

As soon as night hit, Anju and Karin left the elder house. They were both quite surprised that they managed to leave the elder house without causing too much of a problem. Anju was just eager to get out of there before the men woke up again. In less than one day, seven different men had offered the vampire their hand in marriage. She couldn't believe that the exact same vampires that wanted Kanon were asking her hand in marriage. What did they expect she would say? They were lucky that she didn't kill every last one of them.

"You seemed to have a lot of lookers, Anju," Karin teased as soon as they were past the barrier. "I thought I would miss my little sister's first date."

"That's not even funny, Big Sister," Anju replied. "Those vermin in there have no respect at all."

"Aw, come on. You have to find somebody someday. Right? You can't be alone forever."

"Stop teasing me," she said in her usual monotone voice.

"I'm serious, Anju," Karin whined. "You're already thirty years old. Aren't you even thinking of finding someone?"

"Thirty years is nothing to a vampire. I'm still just a child."

"Don't try that on me, Anju. I'm not going to let this go."

Keitaro and Ren were waiting for them by the time they got to the train station. Keitaro had called Ren ahead of time. But he hadn't said much else apart from that. Anju and Karin both gave Keitaro a confused look. What could have happened to him back at the elder house to put him so down in the dumps? Karin could feel an extreme amount of unhappiness coming from him. It made her shutter and she had to take a few steps back from him in order to regain herself. It had been a long time since somebody had given her effects like that. The last person happened to be Kenta.

Ren ended up pulling Anju to the side before the train arrived. "What the hell happened last night?"

"Nothing," Anju replied honestly.

"Then what happened to him," he asked, nodding to Keitaro, who was leaning on a pillar, staring off into space. "He hasn't said anything since he called me."

"Did he stop the war?"

Once again, Anju shook her head. "I don't know, Big Brother."

Keitaro was nice enough to buy train tickets for the other Maaka. But as soon as he got into the cabin, he passed out from exhaustion. Ren and Anju had no clue what was going on with the vampire hunter, nor did they really care. However, Karin felt extremely concerned. Keitaro had to be told something bad. He didn't want to talk about it to anyone.

Keitaro kept to himself all the way back to the Maaka barrier. But just before he passed through the barrier, he noticed somebody nearby. Just outside the barrier, his brother was sitting at the bus stop waiting for him. When they caught eye contact, Yukio gave his little brother a wicked smile. He had been waiting for Keitaro to show up. The other Maakas were already past the barrier and about to head inside. Keitaro decided to talk with his brother.

Anju was the last one to enter the Maaka mansion. She happened to look back to see Keitaro outside the barrier, crossing the street. She recognized the man that Keitaro was approaching. She had seen the vampire hunter at the library. But why was Keitaro going up to him? She gave it a confused look but left Keitaro to the man.

"Welcome back, brother," Yukio said in a false friendly voice. "How did it go?"

"What are you doing here, Yukio?" Keitaro asked angrily.

"I'm sorry. Does my little brother get embarrassed when his big brother comes to visit him." He was deliberately making fun of Keitaro. "Don't think that I don't realize you broke the rules of our little game. You left the Pushuke alone. Tsk tsk. You're lucky I'm a forgiving man."

"I swear to god," Keitaro said, pulling his riffle out and holding it to Yukio's throat. "If you so much as touched her, I'll kill you."

"Please, Little Brother," Yukio laughed, pushing the muzzle of the weapon out of his face. "If you had the balls for that kind of fun, you would have done it years ago. Don't worry, I didn't touch your precious girl. Actually, quite the contrary, I want to thank the little demon."

"What are you talking about?" Keitaro hissed.

"You should really watch the news, Little Brother. The demons have finally decided to act. They've been doing everything from destroying homes to kidnapping humans. I don't know what they hoped to accomplish. They definitely got the eyes of us hunters. I've never gotten to kill so many demons before. It must be my birthday."

Keitaro couldn't believe it. The vampires finally have given up searching and were tearing the city apart until they found the Pushuke. He had failed to prevent it and now Cross Organization, along with all the other freelance hunters in Japan were hunting the vampires down. Yukio laughed at the solemn look on his little brother's face.

"I told you that you would never be able to stop this, Brother," he said, digging a deeper wound. "This is all your fault. If you would have killed that half-blooded demon when you had the chance, none of this would have happened. Now, I'll be able to kill every last one of the vampires. It's not even about the code anymore. It's just because it's what I like to do."

Keitaro felt the anger building up in him. Something happened to him that hadn't happened in a few long years. All the anger was getting to his head. He felt his mind go blank. Without warning, he lunged at Yukio. The force was much stronger than that of a normal human. He managed to bring Yukio over the bench and through the glass pane of the bus stop. The glass gave way, sending shards of glass everywhere. Yukio was thrown to the ground, his brother on top of him. But with a little skill, he managed to roll backwards, throwing Keitaro off of him and into a nearby tree.

Yukio drew out the pistol in his coat and pointed it at his little brother. Keitaro's eyes were dark red and his fangs were bared. Yukio had seen his brother like this once before. He held his ground, but laughed at his brother.

"Now that's the spirit, Little Brother," Yukio said, laughing. "Show your true colors to your brother. You half-demon spawn."

Keitaro managed to regain control, his fangs slowly retreating back into his gums. He had lost control. Instead of anger, he had a sudden wave of fear rush over him. Fear for himself. Yukio just continued to laugh at him.

"Go ahead, Little Brother," he said, still pointing the gun at him. "Go feral like every other half-blood in this world. It'll just make killing you all the more fun."

"I will get you, Yukio," Keitaro said through rapid breathing.

"What's stopping you? You know exactly where I'm staying. What's holding you back from killing me?"

Keitaro really didn't know. He couldn't think straight at the moment. Yukio didn't stick around to talk with his brother anymore. He had had his fun messing with Keitaro's mind. And as Keitaro looked at all the broken glass from the bus stop, he still couldn't believe that he had lost control again.

Yukio would have to die. Keitaro didn't know why he didn't try killing Yukio when he had the chance. But all of this was Yukio's fault. Now, if his brother had his way, he would wipe out every last vampire in the world. Keitaro may not have been able to stop a war, but he would stop his brother. One way or another.

* * *

A short chapter before the end of part 5. Don't think you know what's going to happen. LoL. I do have one last question. Should Keitaro convince Kanon to fulfill her destiny? I have the last three chapter's written already as well as the epiloge. I promise you'll like it if you've liked the story so far. If you haven't liked the story, I do wonder why you've read this far. LOL


	51. Embarrassment 50

Embarrassment 50: Goodbye

* * *

"How could you disobey my orders and go to the elder house behind my back?" Henry asked Karin, Ren, and Anju angrily in the family room.

"Will you sit down, Henry," Carrera said, annoyed with the way her husband was acting. She had just gotten home earlier tonight to find out what had happened. "Can't you see that their okay. No harm done."

"Tch, it was a waste of time anyway," Ren said. "That boy's been moping around ever since last night."

"Yes, it's very strange," Karin added. "He was so much different before he went there. I wonder what was said to him."

"What does it matter?" Ren said. "It's obvious he failed to stop the vampires. Why are we trusting him again?"

"Where is Keitaro, anyway?" Kanon asked, looking around the room.

"I'm right here," Keitaro said, appearing in the doorway. "Kanon, would you mind if I talk to you alone?"

Kanon nodded and got up, following Keitaro out of the room and up the stairs to her room. Everyone else was silent when he had entered. Carrera watched her granddaughter leave the room with a smug look on her face.

"So that's the vampire hunter, huh?" she replied. "I wonder, is there anything going on between the two of them?"

"Of course not," Karin replied quickly.

Keitaro closed the door behind Kanon as soon as she was in the room. She could already tell that there was something wrong with him. Keitaro was a quiet guy, but this was overkill. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes were at the floor most of the time. She sat down on the edge of her bed and he took a seat next to her.

_You're gonna have to tell her,_ Keitaro thought as he stared hard at the floor. _Might as well get it out now._

"Kanon," he started, "after I talk with you here, we are probably never going to see each other again."

"What?" Kanon said, completely taken back. "Why?"

"I can't do this anymore, Kanon. I can't keep protecting you forever. I'm going to go after my brother as soon as the sun rises. After that, you'll never see me again."

Kanon didn't know what to say. "Why so suddenly, Keitaro?"

"Remember when I saved you from the hunter back at the library."

"Of course I do."

"I told you that you had a destiny to fulfill, Kanon. But the longer I spent around you the less I wanted you to fulfill that destiny. But now, there's no other way to dodge it."

"I don't understand..."

Keitaro sighed. He didn't know any other way to tell her without hurting her. Taking a deep breath, he finally told her the truth.

"Kanon, you are the last savior for vampires. Your blood will be able to save them from extinction. The vampires out there want that blood so bad, but in the end, it would be your choice on what to do. From the moment you were born, you were chosen to be the Pushuke. It's time to make the decision, Kanon. You have to decide whether you want to sacrifice your own life for the race of vampires or let them die." He glanced up at her. "When I met you, I made a promise to protect you up until the day you made your decision. But I am about preserving the vampire race so I made it a goal to help you decide. But now, I can't do it. I don't want to be responsible for your life. That's why I'm leaving you."  
Kanon felt a cold shudder down her spine. She understood what Keitaro was trying to tell her. She just never wanted to think about it.

"I care about you Kanon," Keitaro said, reaching up and gently brushing the hair out of her eye. "That's why I have to leave you. Because it hurts to bad to tell you what I am telling you now. Kanon, you have to do this for them. You have to fulfill your destiny as a Pushuke. The entire vampire race is at their knees just for you."

"But..." Kanon said, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't...want to..."

"Life isn't fair, Kanon," he said, giving her a weak but fake smile. "But we all have a purpose in this world. I don't want you to do this, but it isn't up to me. It's up to you."

Keitaro got up from the bed and started for the door, but Kanon quickly stopped him.

"Keitaro!" she yelled, tears in her eyes. "Please don't leave. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just please... don't leave me alone."

Keitaro didn't turn around. If she could have seen his face, she would have noticed that there were tears in his eyes as well. He couldn't hold it in anymore. It was too painful to tell the girl he loved to give up her life. Even if it was for a good cause.

"I'm...sorry, Kanon," he said slowly. "I just don't have the strength anymore. I'm really going to miss you. Whatever you choose to do... I hope it's what you really want."

Kanon couldn't just let Keitaro walk out of her life again. Without thinking, she said something that she never expected. She said the one thing that she really felt.

"Keitaro...please. If you leave me, I'll never be able to live it down because... because... I... I love you."

Her heart stopped beating. She really had just said that... to him. Keitaro didn't know how to respond. The words seemed to hit him like an oncoming train. He knew all along that she had feeling for him. But how could he say he loved her back? At a time like this, he didn't even want to think about things like that.

"You shouldn't love me, Kanon," he said, hating himself for turning her down. "I don't deserve somebody as perfect as you..."

"Stop saying that, Keitaro!" she yelled walking up to him and hugging him, tears streaming from her eyes. "I don't know what you did to make you think that you have nobody. But I don't care. You have me, Keitaro. Nothing else matters but that."

_I hate myself. I love you too, Kanon,_ he thought, staring at the young girl. _But I can't tell you that, and I never will._

Kanon cried harder than she ever had before. Ever since she had met him, she knew she would have feelings for him. Whether they were good or bad, she knew they were there. Keitaro was the only one who treated her with the utmost respect. She was the only person outside of her own family that she could talk to. Because of him, she was able to get through each day with a smile.

"I'll never forget you, Kanon," Keitaro said, hugging her tightly. He gently rubbed her back, but couldn't bring himself to do anything else. "Thank you for everything."

Without another word, Keitaro let go of Kanon and left the room. He was fighting so hard to hold back the tears himself. He had been planning this conversation out since last night. It took all of his strength though to actually tell her in person. He wanted desperately to go back into the room and tell her that he loved her and would make everything better, but it would all be a lie. As long as she was the Pushuke, things would never be that simple for her. He was doing the best thing for her by leaving her.

As expected, Anju was standing in front of the door with Boogie in her arms. He knew that she would have listened in, but he didn't care anymore. She wasn't angry with Keitaro. He could tell by the look on her face. She was confused with his actions.

"What are you doing, Hunter?" she asked, staring up at him with large eyes.

"I've finished my job. There's nothing more to do. If you want to wipe my memory, go right ahead. I don't care anymore."

Anju didn't move. "If I did that, it wouldn't solve anything. You may not be happy with the situation your in, but running away isn't going to make things better."

"It may not make things all better again," Keitaro said, pushing past her and opening the front door. "But I'm sure it'll help."

He slammed the door in her face before she had the chance to lecture him. Keitaro just couldn't take it anymore. Anju just stood there.

_"You just let him go?"_ Boogie wondered.

"There was nothing I could say," she said in a soft voice.

Keitaro may not have been able to stop the war. He may not have the strength to protect the girl that he loved. But there was one thing he could do. He could finally get Cross Organization off of the Maaka's back. Yukio had been right from the start. If Keitaro would have just killed Kanon when he had the chance, none of this would have ever happened. He let his feelings get in the way of his mission and now it was a fail. But as long as Yukio was breathing, Kanon would never truly be safe.

_Kanon, I really do care about you,_ he thought to himself as he ran to the hotel where his brother was staying. _I don't care about the vampire race anymore. I just want you to make a decision that you feel is right. I hope you understand why I had to leave. It was my fault you've been in so much hardship._

Nobody cared about Kanon as much as Keitaro did, and nobody ever would. But if he really cared about her, he was determined to leave her. Only then, could she possibly live a happy life.

* * *

Part 5 is done. I don't have much to say here. Imagine if I made this the end of the story though. One more part to go... Please please please hit me up with a review since this is the end of part 5. I would really like to know what you thought.


	52. Embarrassment 51

Embarrassment 51: Tricks and Traps

* * *

Ever since Keitaro was given the job to hunt down the Maakas, Yukio had been there, doing his own part in destroying the vampire world. He had planned everything from the start. He knew Keitaro would take sides with the Pushuke. He knew that Keitaro would foolishly lead him to the Maaka's front door step. He even knew that if he held out long enough, the vampire war would start and he would be able to kill vampires at will. Yukio wasn't a stupid person. His wit and sheer disregard for the law was what made him such an effective vampire hunter. But if he knew this much, what else did he predict?

Keitaro himself had said once that if Yukio may just be the most dangerous man in Japan. His strength and brains would be enough alone, but Cross Organization made him invincible. Keitaro never dared cross his brother in the past. It wouldn't be worth it anyways. His brother was not afraid of a half-blood like Keitaro. But as the morning sun started to rise over tokyo, Keitaro realized that he would have to bring down the invincible man if Kanon were ever to have peace again.

He had said a lot of evil things back there in the Maaka mansion. Things that made even a man like Keitaro cry. He wished that he could take back what he said to Kanon Usui, but there was no going back. He didn't want to know what she would do with her life. Whether she lived a happy life with her family or gave her blood to save a dying race, was no longer any matter for him. He had gotten too close to somebody. Even managed to fall in love and be loved back. Maybe in a different life, things would have worked out. But Keitaro couldn't be with a girl like her when he was what he was.

He was going to do the one thing he could think of for Kanon. He was going to give her a break in her painful life. He may not have been able to stop the war, but he would stop Yukio. His brother would die by his hands.

As soon as Keitaro entered the hotel he went up to the front desk for a spare room key to Yukio's room. The man at the front desk remembered Keitaro's face, apparently from before he had been dropped from the organization. She gave him a key without another thought into it. It definitely made things easier for him. He wouldn't have to force his way in.

Keitaro got upon the elevator in the hotel with just one thing in mind. If he was lucky, he would be able to catch his brother off-guard. If not... he would still take Yukio down. Yukio was in a loft sweet. Plenty of room for Keitaro to take him down and nowhere for him to run. Keitaro would have him cornered. Hopefully that would give him the edge he needed. He pulled the riffle out of his jacket as the elevator slowly rose to Yukio's floor.

When the doors squeaked open, Keitaro already had his riffle at the ready, his cheek resting on the butt-stock and eye looking through the scope. He was expecting the worst. He quickly checked the room before entering. Yukio's loft made up of three rooms; a living room\kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Then there was a balcony outside the kitchen that took up the side of the building. The loft was decorated very expensively, from a large flat screen TV to the oak table in the kitchen.

With all the things in the loft, there was one thing missing. Yukio Cross. Keitaro didn't lower his weapon until he had checked every corner of the room. Where would Yukio be so early in the morning? He had talked with his brother just over an hour ago.

Yukio may not have been there, but there was an item that caught Keitaro's eye while he was searching. Beside Yukio's bed, there was a large black suitcase. Keitaro gave a quick glance around the room before placing his weapon down on the bed and grabbing the suitcase. It was quite heavy and there was a combination lock on the front. On the top, Keitaro immediately recognized the Cross Organization logo. Whatever was in this suitcase was extremely important. Keitaro didn't want to take the chance. He grabbed his riffle and busted the lock off the suitcase.

Keitaro opened the the suitcase slowly and stopped when he realized what was inside. No less than ten bricks of c4 along with a ignition switch. Why would Yukio have something like this? What did he have planned? Keitaro feared that something bad was going to happen.

"It's not look to peak at private stuff, Little Brother," a voice said from behind him.

Keitaro's pupils grew twice the size in less than a second. He grabbed for his riffle and spun around, only to have Yukio grab the riffle and deliver an elbow to Keitaro's face. Keitaro let go of the riffle and was knocked backwards on top of the suitcase. Yukio had snuck up on him while he was distracted with the contents of the suitcase.

"You never were very good at hide and seek," Yukio said, disassembling the riffle into two parts and dropping the pieces. After that, he pulled out his trusty combat knife from his belt and flipped it once in his hand. "You should have told me you were coming over, Keitaro. I had no time to get ready."

Yukio didn't waste any time and brought the knife down towards Keitaro's chest. Keitaro quickly reacted and kicked out both of his feet, catching his brother in the gut and knocking him back a few feet. Keitaro then got to his feet and swung his fist at Yukio, catching him in the jaw. Yukio slashed out his knife, narrowly missing his little brother's gut by just a few inches. When he swung out the knife again, Keitaro caught his arm and disarmed him before slashing out with the knife himself. He caught Yukio just under the eye. Without warning, Yukio tried to uppercut his younger brother. But Keitaro moved faster than his brother and stabbed his older brother in the shoulder, causing Yukio to yelp in pain. Letting go of the knife, Keitaro brought his fist to the side of Yukio's head, knocking Yukio off balance. He took a step back from the vampire hunter.

Yukio's already looked like a mess. He quickly yanked the knife out of his left shoulder, but applied pressure to the wound in an attempt to stop any bleeding. He was also bleeding slightly under his right eye and Keitaro could tell he was more surprised than anything.

"For years I have feared you, Brother," Keitaro said angrily. "You were always a better hunter than me. But when it came down to it, I guess you were just second best. I'm going to kill you, Yukio. I'll kill you before you have the chance to harm anyone again."

Of course, Yukio laughed at him. Even though he was in severe pain, he straightened himself up and laughed at his younger brother. "You're a cocky bastard, aren't you, Keitaro?"

Keitaro lunged at Yukio before he could say any more. But it was exactly what Yukio was waiting for. As soon as Keitaro was within range, Yukio grabbed his brother and brought his knee up to the teen's gut. It completely caught Keitaro off guard and knocked the wind out of him. Still holding on to both of Keitaro's arms, Yukio threw Keitaro over him into the wall. He brought the knife up to his little brother's throat and held him against the wall.

"Now that you've had your little temper tantrum," Yukio said, "lets get one thing straight. You will never be better than me, Keitaro. Do you remember the last time I brought a knife up to your puny little throat? It was when you awoke as the half-blooded filth you are now."

Keitaro struggled in his older brother's grip, but Yukio had a firm grip on him and there wasn't anything he could do without getting cut by the knife. He just glared his brother down with a mixture of anger and fear.

"If your going to kill me," Keitaro hissed, "you better do it now. Because I won't sleep until you're dead."

Yukio gave him a smile. "Why the hell would I want to kill you Keitaro? Where would the fun be in that? No, I have a much better plan for you?"

It was then when Keitaro noticed the bat that was sitting on Yukio's bed. His eyes went wide with fear when he saw the vampire come into the room with another bat on his shoulder. Keitaro struggled to get out of his brothers grip but Yukio just held the knife closer to his neck. He laughed at his little brother's pointless efforts.

"You see, Little Brother," Yukio said with a smile on his face, "I made a deal with the vampires. I give them the Pushuke... and they give me you. I just can't kill you, yet. You're such a valuable asset to my plan."

Keitaro continued to struggle. The vampire gave him a dark glare. He knew what was going to happen before the vampire ever put up his hand. Without ever saying a word, the vampire's hand started to glow a faint yellow. Keitaro suddenly felt his body tense up.

"But of course, you would never help me willingly," Yukio continued, smiling even wider. "So my little friend here is going to mess around with your mind a little bit. Now what do you think of that?"

Keitaro couldn't respond. But if he could, he would be screaming for his life. Yukio had planned this out all along and Keitaro had taken the bait. Without warning, Keitaro could feel his mind being altered. He closed his eyes and a single tear fell out. The vampire was wiping his memory.

One at a time, Keitaro felt a memory get erased. It was like somebody was erasing the book in his head. Everything that had to do with the last few weeks was gone without a trace. Anju, the elder house, his hatred for Yukio. Even Kanon. They were all gone, being taken by a vampire tricked by Yukio. Keitaro had failed again.

_I'm sorry Kanon. I failed you again._

When the vampire was done, Keitaro's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell limp on the ground. Yukio kicked him in the gut once to make sure he wasn't faking it. Keitaro was out cold from the affect of weeks of memories being taken away.

"I'll be damned," Yukio said smiling. "You demon's do have some nice tricks."

"Now you'll keep your end of the bargain, won't you?" the vampire asked. "You promised us the Pushuke if we wiped his memory."

"Don't worry, the vampires will get their precious Pushuke." Before the vampire could react, Yukio pulled out his pistol and shot the vampire in the head, killing him instantly. Yukio walked up to the vampire and shot him again just to be sure. "But I can't have you giving my brother back his memories accidentally now can I? Next time you make a deal, read the fine print."

Yukio glared down at his brother. "I got to get you ready for your date, Little Brother."

* * *

It's going to take a lot of work to make the last part more epic than any other so far. This is the shortest of the six parts. Only eight chapters then an epilogue.


	53. Embarrassment 52

Embarrassment 52: Little White Lies

* * *

From the moment that Keitaro had left the Maaka mansion, the entire household could here Kanon's sobbing. She had locked herself in her room again, refusing to talk to anyone. Anything that her family would say to her would only make matters worse. She just wanted to be alone for awhile.

_How could I have been so stupid,_ Kanon thought to herself, tears streaming from her eyes. _I actually told him that I loved him. Now I'll never see his face again._

Kanon had been beating herself up over this for the past hour. It was true that she really liked Keitaro, but did she love him? In her heart, she knew it to be true. But the fact that she blurted it out to him at a time like that was just stupid. She didn't even know if he had feelings for her, and now she would never know. What killed her the most was the fact that she didn't care what he said to her. True, it came as a shock to hear that she would now have to make the choice between her own life and the lives of hundreds of vampire clans. But it would happen either way. At least Keitaro had the guts to come out and tell her what he thought of it.

There was a knock at her door. She didn't get off her bed to answer it.

"Kanon," she heard her mother say. "Kanon, can I come in."

Kanon lifted her face off the pillow just enough to snap at her mother. "Go away. I don't want to talk to anyone."

Karin was a little bit upset that her daughter was pushing her away. She had no clue what was said between Kanon and Keitaro. She just didn't want to hear her daughter crying. Kanon hadn't cried this hard since her father died. So what could Keitaro have said to her to make her feel like this?

_"You should open the door and talk to your mother, Kanon,"_ a comforting voice said from across the room. Kanon didn't even look up from the pillow. She knew it was her father. _"You'll feel better once you talk to somebody."_

"I don't want to," Kanon said firmly. "Please Papa, I don't want to see Mama like this."

Kenta got up from the chair and walked over to the bed where his daughter was crying. Sitting down next to her, he placed his hand on her back, trying to comfort her. _"You can at least talk to me about it, Kanon."_

Kanon thought it about for a moment. She only had one question that she wanted answer. "Papa, should I give my blood to the vampire race?"

Kenta was quite surprised that she was changing the topic. She really didn't want to talk about Keitaro with anybody. But Kenta didn't know how to answer his daughter's question. This was a very touchy subject and it was only a matter of time before she brought this up to him.

"Keitaro told me that I would have to make the decision. What does he mean by that? Why do I have to make such choices? I don't want to choose between my own life and the life of others."

Kenta sighed. It was time to tell Kanon the story of the Pushuke. It was going to be a long story, and he had a lot to tell her. He knew more about it than anyone else in the universe, and she never questioned why.

Meanwhile, at Yukio's house, Keitaro stirred in his sleep. He felt like he had one hell of a night. He actually felt like he had been drinking last night. Stirring in the bed, he tried to remember exactly what happened. He remembered having a fight with his brother, but couldn't think of why. His head hurt really bad and he felt like he had just awoken from a concussion.

He sat up in the bed and looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He was in the loft, in the hotel. But what was with the clothes he was wearing. He had on a large, cheap looking brown jacket and old looking clothes. Where was his uniform that he always wore? Even more so, he always had his pistol at his side. But all he had on him were a couple sticks of flash bang. That's when he noticed his gear on the floor next to the door, neatly folded.

_What the hell happened last night?_ Keitaro thought, rubbing his temples from the massive headache.

He suddenly got a quick image of a girl holding on to him, crying. It was like a long lost memory. But it seemed so strong. Unintentionally, he put his hand on his chest. Why did he just think of some random girl? Did he really get drunk last night and do some stupid stuff? It didn't seem like something he would do.

After getting changed into his uniform and putting his pistol in his coat, he left the bedroom. Yukio was already awake and eyed Keitaro suspiciously when he entered the kitchen area. Keitaro felt like his brother was on very thin ice with him. After a few seconds, Yukio gave a big grin and pored a glass of juice for his brother.

"God damn, Little Brother," Yukio said, handing him the glass. "I thought you were a dead man last night."

That was when Keitaro noticed the wound on Yukio's shoulder. He didn't remember Yukio ever being injured there. Not only that, but Yukio had a very fresh scar under his eye. Did he do that to Yukio last night?

"I feel like shit," Keitaro said, before downing the entire drink. "What happened last night?"

"You don't remember?" Yukio wondered. "You and I finally cornered the Maaka clan last night."

"We did?"

"You got a little ahead of yourself, and tried to chase down the half-vampire by yourself," Yukio lied. "Apparently they set up an ambush for you. By the time I got there, you were out cold and I had to drag your sorry ass back here to the hotel."

_Not exactly drunk,_ Keitaro thought to himself. _Why can't I remember any of it?_

Of course Yukio would put himself out as the hero, but Keitaro ate up everything his brother said without much question. Yukio was even surprised by how well the mind wipe had worked. It was as if somebody had reversed time on Keitaro. He still trusted his brother and thought his mission was to kill the half-vampire Pushuke. Everything was going even better than planned and Yukio couldn't have been happier. That was until Keitaro dropped to the ground, clutching his skull.

Keitaro had the sudden image of him lying in a hospital bed. There was a girl in the room with him. She looked at least fourteen or fifteen and had long silver hair. In her hands, she held a creepy looking doll with a knife in it's hands. From the bios that he had read before he started the mission he knew the girl's name was Anju Maaka. She was one of the vampires that he had to hunt down, and apparently the most dangerous. But why was he suddenly thinking about her in a place like this? The problem was that the vision disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. Keitaro slowly got to his feet.

"What the hell was that all about?" Yukio asked.

"It was nothing," Keitaro lied. "I think I need to go lay down again."

"Don't forget about our plan for tonight," Yukio said. "You can't be going down like that or you'll ruin everything."

"What plan? I don't remember making any plans with you."

Yukio laughed. "God damn, Keitaro. What did the Maaka's do to you. Don't you remember, you are the only one who can get close to the half-vampire. You were supposed to convince her to go to the elder house and perform the ritual."

"I thought you said that I was ambushed last night by them?" Keitaro wondered.

Yukio was quick to fix himself. "That's why I'm going to keep an eye on you so that none of the other family members come near you. God. Don't tell me you have forgotten already."

Keitaro was completely drawing up blanks. He just shrugged his shoulders. Yukio gave his brother a disgusted look.

"No we know what those demons did to you," he said. "They must have completely erased your memory. Okay, Little Brother. I guess I have to get you up to date on everything. For the past weeks we have been getting you closer and closer to the Pushuke. You're job was to convince her to give up her blood, so that the stupid vampires stop attacking the city. But last night, you decided to chase after the half-blood and now the Maaka's know who you are. That's why tonight will be your last chance to get that Kanon girl to give up her blood. Otherwise, I take over and I'll kill the entire family myself. That was our deal."

Keitaro felt like such an idiot for not remembering any of this. Maybe the vampire clan really did wipe his memory last night. It would explain why his head was hurting so badly and why he was having these quick images. The old clothing that he had been wearing when he woke up must have been to trick the Maaka's into thinking he was just an average person.

When Keitaro left the room to go back to bed, Yukio almost burst out laughing. Keitaro was so gulible that he was making everything so easy. With his brother's memory completely gone, he wouldn't be a hassle for Yukio. The vampire hunter sat down at the table with a plate of noodles, enjoying himself.

"Don't worry, Little Brother," he said quietly to himself. "In time, all I'm doing will make sense. Unfortunately, when that time comes, I'll be killing you along with all the other vampires. You should have just played along with me from the start. At least then, your memories would still be in tact."  
At the Maaka mansion, Kanon was dead silent as she listened to the ghost of her father explain about the role of the Pushuke. By the time he had finished she was at a complete loss for words. Kenta seemed to know so much about this, that he made it easy for her to understand what she must do.

"So that's why Keitaro told me it would be my choice in the end," she said softly, staring down at the floor. "My blood is only effective if I give it up willingly."

_"He must really care about you if he had to leave you after telling you that,"_ Kenta said softly. _"He doesn't want to be the one responsible for making your decision."_

"Yeah, I guess so," Kanon said softly. "But I still don't want him to be gone forever."

"_Then why are you letting him go? Kanon, who cares what he might say to you. If you want to be with him then be with him. Don't make the same mistake that I did when I was your age."_ Kenta stopped for a second and looked at his daughter with a gentle smile. _"Go after him Kanon. Stop him from making a stupid mistake in leaving you."_

Kanon smiled. Her father was right after all. She gave him a hug before putting on her shoes and leaving the room. Kenta watched his daughter go with a slight smile.

_"It seems that you have someone that you care about more than your father, Little Kanon,"_ he said softly. _"That means that I will appear as someone else to you. At least I had time to tell you the truth about your destiny, before I left. The real Kenta would have been proud. But don't worry. I'll always be with you Kanon. I always have been."_

That was the last time Kanon ever saw this person who looked like the ghost of her father.

* * *

If you haven't guessed who this mysterious Kenta is, I feel sorry for you. LOL


	54. Embarrassment 53

Embarrassment 53: Kanon's Mistake

* * *

Keitaro tried taking some medicine and going back to sleep. But the room just seemed too bright and he was already up. Instead he got up and put on the old clothes that he had been wearing. Even though he wasn't a fan of the ratty old clothing, they seemed to fit him just right. The entire time he was dressing he was trying so hard to remember what had happened, not just last night, but over the past few days. He just kept drawing up blanks. He had a feeling that there was something or someone that he should remember, but it was impossible. His memory had to have been wiped.

When he left the room, Yukio eyed him with a laugh. "You look just like a civilian. You really do blend in well."

"I'm going out for a while," Keitaro said. "My mind is still a little fuzzy though. If I happen to run into the Pushuke, what should I say?"

"Finish convincing her to go to the elder house," Yukio said. "If she won't go, shoot her. Just don't kill her. We want to stop this war, don't we?"

"Since when have you cared about a vampire's well being?" Keitaro asked, eying his brother suspiciously.

"Don't get me wrong. I still want nothing more than to kill every last one of the Maaka clan. But, I'm a nice guy sometimes."

Keitaro didn't know whether to trust his brother or not, but nevertheless, he left the hotel. Yukio was in tears because of how funny it was. He couldn't believe it. If he didn't hate his brother so much, he would go up to him and pat him on the back for being such a good pet. With Keitaro working with him again, he would have all the vampires in his clutches. It was only a matter of time. Even if Keitaro screwed things up with Kanon, things would still work out.

Yukio pulled out his phone and called up his father. Hotaru was surprised that his son finally called. "Yukio, I hope you've brought me some good news. The vampires are going overboard out here. Every night it's pandemonium."

"Of course, Father," Yukio said. "Tell all the vampires that the Pushuke has agreed to give up her blood and will be heading to the elder house tonight. If they want her, they'll have to go there now. All of them."

Hotaru was silent for a moment. "You managed to get to her?"

"You know it," Yukio said before hanging up the phone.

_When this is all said and done,_ Yukio thought, stretching out on the couch, _the vampire race will be wiped off the face of the planet. The best part is, by the time Cross Organization figures it out, it won't matter anymore. And I'll truly be the greatest hunter in the world._

Even though it was bright and early in the morning, Kanon was determined to find Keitaro before he left her forever. She didn't know exactly where he would be. He had told her that he was going to finally take down his brother, but she had no clue where that place was. She would have to search around the nearby hotels to find Keitaro. Hopefully he was still safe.

It had been quite some time since Kanon had been out during the daylight hours. She forgot how bright the sun was. It actually managed to hurt her eyes a little, even though it was only seven in the morning. She really did feel like a vampire now.

To much of Kanon's surprise, she happened to see Keitaro just fifteen minutes after she had left the house. Keitaro was sitting outside a small outdoor cafe just a few blocks away from the Maaka barrier. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't left town on her yet. But what was odd was he seemed to be in a content state. He had a bit of a far off stare but he didn't seem to feel down about what he had did just a few hours ago. Maybe he truly was happy with what he did.

It didn't take long before Keitaro got the feeling that somebody was watching him. He glanced up from the table and noticed a young girl with purple hair tied back in a ponytail, standing across the street, watching him. She was a cute little girl and matched the description of the Pushuke. When she realized that he had noticed her, she gave him a small wave. Keitaro gave her a slight wave back.

_So Yukio was telling the truth,_ Keitaro thought, as he watched the half-vampire cross the street to him. _She really does trust me. I just got to play this cool. I can't let on that I don't remember anything. I have to get her away from here first though._

That's when Keitaro started to wonder just how close he was to this Pushuke. He decided that he would treat her like she was his friend. That would be the best way. Depending on how she reacted, he would change his attitude accordingly.

Kanon crossed the street to the cafe and tried to avoid eye contact with Keitaro. She still felt quite embarrassed that she had told him that she loved him. She knew how awkward it must have been for him. She wanted to talk to him. She may not be able to keep him near her, but she could at least feel better after talking to him.

"Um, Keitaro," Kanon started staring down at the ground while twiddling her feet, "I wanted to talk to you about earlier."

She expected him to tell her to go home, or that he didn't want to talk to her. Instead he gave her a gentle, yet slightly forced smile. "I don't want to talk about this with so many people that might hear."

Kanon nodded slowly. She was completely unaware that the two of them were talking about two completely different subjects. Keitaro looked the young half-vampire over. She was very very cute in his eyes. Another vision crossed over his mind of him holding her in his arms in the middle of the park. She was crying on his shoulder. For some reason, the feeling of being that close to her made him feel all warm inside. It was such a strong vision that he could even smell the aroma of her hair. Keitaro wondered if this was a real memory. If it was, it was a strange yet happy one.

Keitaro got up and threw away his coffee before heading off to the park. He felt odd by how close Kanon was walking near him. He felt like he had never met this girl before, but by the way that she was acting you would think that there was something going on between them. Maybe there was.

He didn't know why, but when he was next to her, he felt very comfortable.

Kanon was dead silent as she walked beside Keitaro. She was glad that he was willing to speak with her, but something didn't feel right about the whole situation. Keitaro was acting so much different than he had just five hours ago. Could it have been that he managed to stop his brother and was in a good mood? She really didn't know. She was so lost in thought that she started walking abnormally close to him. When she brushed his arm, she immediately jumped.

"I'm sorry," Kanon said, looking away because she was blushing slightly.

"It's okay," Keitaro replied. He took a seat at a park bench and she sat next to him. "What did you want to talk about, Pushuke?"

Kanon was a bit surprised that he called her Pushuke. Internally he thought that was what she wanted to be called. He really didn't know.

"I've made a decision," Kanon said softly, not looking at him directly. It was very hard for her to say this. "I've decided to give up my blood for the vampire race."

_Really?_ Keitaro thought. _This was easier than I thought it would be. So we really have been talking about her doing that. I really thought Yukio was messing with me._

"But..." she said looking at him. "I want you to be there when I go through with it."

"Me?" Keitaro wondered. "Why not your family. Wouldn't you want your mother or father there?"

"My... Papa?" Kanon wondered. It was so strange that he said that. "I don't want anyone else to know about this, Keitaro. If Mama found out what I planned to do, she would be in so much pain. I don't think I would be able to go through with it."

"I'm... busy," Keitaro lied. "I've got things that I have to do."

He was shutting her down because he didn't want to be near her. Something felt wrong and he didn't like what was going on. He felt like he had been in this situation before. But why in the world would this girl want to be near him? What was he to her? Everything Yukio had told him up to this point had been the truth, but there seemed to be so many flaws. And with all these random memories, something wasn't feeling right. To him, it was all Kanon and her family's fault.

Kanon's eyes started to water. She grabbed his hand and looked at him with big eyes. "Please, Keitaro. I'm scared to go through with this by myself."

Keitaro wrenched his hand from her grip and jumped to his feet.

"Get off of me," he hissed. "What is your problem anyway? Suck it up, Pushuke. It's why you were born anyway. It's all your fault that this war is happening anyway."

Kanon couldn't believe how harsh he was being to her. "How could you say such things?"  
"It's true, isn't it?" Keitaro continued. "Don't come crying to me, begging me to go watch you die. I don't care what happens to you, Pushuke. Just leave me alone."

"But..." Kanon said, tears in her eyes.

_What happened to him?_ Kanon thought. _This isn't the Keitaro I know. Why is he acting like this?_

Kanon stood up, her head hanging low. She had started crying again. This was not what she had expected to happen. She looked up at Keitaro with so much anger and sadness that he was slightly shocked.

"I hate you, Keitaro! I hate you!" she screamed at him, before running off into the forest. "I don't ever want to see you again!"

Keitaro was in puzzlement. She was so emotional about it. Up in a nearby tree, Yukio was sitting in civilian clothing watching every last second. He was about to burst out laughing again. Watching Keitaro screw up his own life was comedy gold in his eyes. Even more so was the fact that Keitaro had no clue that he was doing it either.

"Looks like it's time to shine," Yukio said, getting out of the tree.

Yukio wasn't the only one who had seen the situation. On yet another tree, a bat was perched and had shown young Anju everything. She didn't like Keitaro, but now he had taken things too far. She wasn't about to let him get away with the things he had said.

* * *

I hate myself for writting Keitaro as such an asshole. For all of you who love Keitaro, I'm sorry. LOL


	55. Embarrassment 54

Embarrassment 54: Escort

* * *

Yukio's game had been working perfectly up to this point. It was time for him to play his final card. If this worked, he would be almost unstoppable at finishing off the vampire race once and for all. Yukio never failed at a mission if he could help it.

With some contacts and a some fake teeth, Yukio made himself look just like a vampire, right down to the red cat like eyes. It would be enough to fool Kanon. All he need now was to find the little brat. Making sure that his brother didn't see him, Yukio grabbed the black suitcase that he had left by the tree and walked off in the direction that he had seen Kanon run off in.

Kanon was too predictable. She didn't leave the park, nor run off that far for that matter. She was in a state of both shock and unhappiness. How could Keitaro have been so harsh to her? She didn't understand. Ever since he had left her, he had been acting different. Even somebody as dense as Kanon could plainly see it. She wondered with much fear that she was seeing the true Keitaro. Maybe all the nice things that they had done together was just a game that he was playing. She didn't know, but thinking about it was so painful.

Before Yukio approached the young crying teenager, he scoped out the entire area. It didn't take long before he saw the bats that were sitting on the tree near Kanon. Somebody at the Maaka mansion was watching over her. There would be nothing that they would be able to do anyway. The morning sun was shining brightly over all of the city. No vampire would be able to attack him here.

_I was so stupid,_ Kanon thought, crying in her arms.

"Excuse me, my dear Pushuke," Yukio said, stepping out from behind a tree and presenting himself to Kanon. "I have finally found you."

Kanon had never met Yukio so she really never knew what he looked like. She had no clue that the man standing in front of her was the person who had been trying to kill her. All she could see was the long fangs in his mouth and the blood red eyes. She didn't know any better. She quickly got up and took a step back from the man.

"What do you want?" she said nervously, remembering the last vampire from Russia who had tried to take her away.

Yukio gave the girl a smile. _If this girl is really as simple minded as I have been told, this should be no problem._

"I mean no harm," Yukio lied. "I have been sent here from the elder house as your escort."

Kanon wiped the tears away from her eyes. She didn't want to be seen in this state. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not going, Sir."

"Why not? There are many other vampires awaiting your arrival there right now. Have you suddenly changed your mind about giving up your blood?"

Kanon was surprised that he knew about this. "How did you know all this?"

"The same way that we knew that you were alive, dearest Pushuke. The Elder has very great powers of seeing the future."

All of this was obviously a lie, but it didn't matter. Kanon didn't question one bit of it. Yukio had spent a great deal of time rehearsing his lines before today. He could tell that it was working. Kanon was tired of hiding from the vampire society. She relaxed slightly and sat back down.

"It's not that I don't want to help the other vampires," Kanon said softly. "I just don't want to go through with this alone."

_What a baby,_ Yukio thought, still retaining a friendly face. _God, just say okay, so that we can leave, you stupid demon._

"If I may make a suggestion," Yukio said, trying to speed things up. "Why don't you at least come with me to the elder house. If you still choose not to give your blood after you've been around the other clans, then you will be free to leave as you see fit."

Kanon nodded. "I guess you have a point."

Yukio glanced up at the bat with a wicked smile. _I hope you were able to say goodbye to your dear half-blood. Because, this will be the last time you will ever get to see her._

It was all going according to plan. Yukio escorted the young half-vampire to the train station, bought her a ticket and they were off before anyone could say otherwise. It was all thanks to Keitaro. He had given Yukio the exact coordinates of the elder house. But as Yukio was a human, he would never be able to pass through the barrier, without a little help. That was where Kanon came in. He would lead her straight to the barrier and she would unknowingly lead him right through and to the elder house where over one hundred vampires were going to be. Yukio could hardly hold in the anticipation. All those vampires, and they would never see it coming.

Kanon silently stared out the window of the bullet train as it zipped through Japan. She was still feeling horrible. She hated Keitaro for lying to her all this time and hated herself for saying such things back to him. She was all alone and knew that she may never get to see anyone of her family members again. It took all her strength just to go out to the elder house, let alone go through with giving her blood. She had been told what would happen to her when she did this. Giving up her own life wasn't something she really wanted to do.

But she was doing a good thing, right? This was what she was born for. She was the Pushuke. No matter how much she hated it, that was what she was. It made her miss her human life so bad. Back then, life was so simple. Just her, her mother, her father, and Grandma. She went to school like a normal girl. Had friends. Made good grades. Most of all, she never had a care in the world. She didn't know about vampires, nor that she was one. She could have gone her whole life without ever becoming a vampire.

But as soon as she awoke as a vampire, everything started to go downhill. She has only awoken a little over a month ago and since then her average life had been turned inside out. Now, she may very well be looking at the end of her life. How else was she supposed to feel?

The train didn't stop at their station until almost nightfall. Kanon had ended up crying herself to sleep. Yukio rudely shook her awake and told her to follow him. He definitely didn't have the kind touch and she really didn't like him all that much. But she followed behind him out the train and into the cold woods nevertheless. Yukio didn't pay much mind to her. He was more distracted with the map that he had in his hand. He would have to keep all the focus if he was going to pass through the barrier.

"Um...Mr..." Kanon started. She didn't know his name. "If you're a vampire, how is it you can walk out in sunlight?"

Yukio almost laughed. _Took her long enough._

"I'm not really sure. I was just born that way I guess." He glanced up and saw a bat on a nearby tree. "We must be nearing the elder barrier. Stand next to me, Pushuke."

Kanon nodded slightly and got up close to the vampire. She thought that maybe it was so he could get her through the barrier, but it was actually the other way around. The barrier had already been altered for her arrival so that she may enter freely. She was just getting Yukio through.

Less than five minutes later, Kanon could see the elder house. She was surprised by how huge it was. Yukio looked at it as if it were a pile of gold. He was so pleased with himself that his little trick had worked. He was through the elder barrier. He finally stopped walking. Kanon turned around a faced him.

"This is where we part, Pushuke," Yukio said, smiling. "I have a lot of work to do and must leave you."

"Thank you," Kanon said, curtseying before him.

"Don't thank me. I should be thanking you. I know that that you'll make the right choice."

Kanon smiled. He may be a little rough, but he seemed like a nice person. Oh, how she was so wrong about him. If only she knew.

* * *

Meh. I don't have much to say about this chapter. I wasn't honestly a big fan of it so I didn't spend a lot of time on it. But this is one of the first chapters that really gets to show how Yukio's mind works. If you count the Epilogue, I have five more chapters to go. Thanks for all the reviews lately. They've really motivated me to keep putting out chapters so fast.


	56. Embarrassment 55

Embarrassment 55: Kanon

* * *

Kanon watched the sun disappear behind the cold hills before she made her way to the elder house. All she could think of when she watched the sun go down, was that this may very well be the last time she ever sees daylight. It made her scared out of her mind, but she held back the tears. She didn't want to cry anymore. Soon, her family would be waking up. What would happen when they find out that Kanon was no longer in the house. Kanon couldn't find any bats that looked like they may be Anju's. Nobody was here for her. She was all alone. She really wished that Keitaro could be with her at the moment.

Kanon knocked on the door, with very little power. She was kind of hoping that nobody would hear her knock, giving her a reason to leave now. She had no such luck. Just a few seconds after she knocked, the door was opened by a long haired vampire in a tuxedo. The moment he saw Kanon, he immediately stepped out of her way, opening the door widely for her.

"My dear Pushuke," he said. "Please come in."

Kanon took a deep breath and crossed the threshold of the house. The vampire shut the door behind her.

"It is such an honor to see you, Pushuke," he said, bowing before her.

Kanon jumped slightly. Why was he bowing for her? This was just so unexpected.

"Please," she said, waving her hands frantically, "don't bow. I really don't deserve it."

"Don't mind him," A voice said from behind her. She turned around to see a quite old looking vampire with many wrinkles on his face and gray hair. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Kanon Usui. I am the elder vampire, Alexander Welsh. Would you honor me by walking with me. I'm sure you don't want to be around the other vampires."

Kanon followed the old vampire down the hall to a large feasting room. While she walked with him, she noticed a few other vampires. Almost every last one of them bowed when she went past. She was really surprised by the way they treated her. It was as if she was royalty to them. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You don't mind if I call you Kanon?" the older vampire asked, looking back at her. "A good friend of yours told me that you like to be called by your first name."

She had a feeling that he was talking about Keitaro. She nodded slightly. "I just don't want to be called the Pushuke."

"As you wish."

Kanon was even more surprised when the man led her to a large room that looked like a banquet hall. There was a long table in the center of the room with chairs seated all along it. What was on the table was made her jaw drop. The entire table was literally covered with various plates of food. There was food from all around the world. It all smelled delicious, and made Kanon's mouth water.

"You must be hungry," the vampire said. "I hope the food is to your liking."

"Did you do all this... for me?" Kanon wondered.

"But of course. When Hotaru called me saying that the Pushuke was finally coming, I had to get ready for your arrival."

"I don't understand," Kanon said. "Why are you all treating me so kindly?"

The elder vampire was a little bit surprised by her comment. "It is a common courtesy to treat the Pushuke with the utmost respect and the highest honor. Do you not like it?"

"No, no, no, no. It's not that. It's just that I don't think that I deserve to be treated like this. I'm sorry, Mr. Welsh."

"No need to apologize," the vampire said kindly. "Go ahead and eat, Kanon. I will answer any questions you have once you are ready to talk."

With that, the elder turned heels and left the room, closing the door behind him. Kanon felt really odd. She had been in the house for a few minutes and already was being treated like she was a goddess. She really didn't feel like eating with the state she was in. But the food looked so delicious and she hadn't eaten anything in quite some time. It wouldn't be right if all this food had been made for her and she didn't eat just a little bit.

That little bit ended up turning into stuffing her face. She was surprised that vampires could even cook, seeing as they had no sense of taste. It deffinetly didn't compare to her mother's cooking, but she loved it all the same. It at least help get her mind off of Keitaro and the rest of the vampires for a little bit.

Just as she was finishing her plate of food, Alexander came back in the room. "I was just checking in on how you were doing," he said kindly.

"Thank you very much for the food," Kanon said kindly, bowing before the man.

"It was our pleasure, Kanon. Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Kanon honestly didn't have that many questions. She was too scared to talk about the whole blood giving thing. But she thought that maybe if she found out more about it, she would feel a little bit better about the whole idea.

"I still don't know if I want to give up my life yet," Kanon said honestly, feeling extremely upset. "Do I really have to die just to save the vampire race?"

The elder vampire knew that the Pushuke would be nervous. Obviously anybody would be. He turned around and motioned her to follow him. He led her to the ceremony room. He thought that maybe showing the young girl would help to explain it. When Kanon saw the huge room with platform in the center, she felt a cold shiver go down her spine.

"The Pushuke is no different than a god to us vampires," the elder explained. "Your whole reason for existence, and the reason you create excess blood is because or race is cursed with infertility. It should be thought of as a honor to be giving your life force to save the race. The ceremony of blood is not going to be harsh like you might think. I cannot lie to you and tell you that you will live. When the ritual has been completed you will die, but it will be a noble death, held in honor by all vampires."

"Is it going to be painful?" Kanon wondered nervously.

"A vampire spell will be placed on your body, causing you to overproduce blood. It will be the most blood your body has produced."

In other words, that was a yes. Kanon was starting to get more nervous by the second.

"What if I say no to the ritual?" she wondered.

The elder thought hard about that. "Then there will be nothing that we will be able to about it. Your blood cannot be taken by force, otherwise the effect won't last. But Kanon, you have to understand that there are hundreds of vampires hoping for this. The rest of the vampires will be here by tonight. Do you really want to be the one that goes out there and tells them that you changed your mind?"

"I guess not," Kanon said.

A few tears came to her eyes. She didn't bother to wipe them away. If she didn't go through with ritual, she would never be able to live it down. But she still wasn't ready to die. She had always dreamed of growing up, getting a job, having a family, and growing old enough to see her family grow up. But that dream wasn't a reality. She could never have that life.

"I'll do it," Kanon said tears streaming from her eyes. "But... if I do... I just have one request..."

"Anything for you," the elder said.

"I want my family to be safe... I don't want anybody to have a grudge against them anymore..."

"The Maaka Clan?" the elder asked. "That will be a hard one. The council may not ever agree to pardon them. But for you, I will see what I can do."

"I want a promise," Kanon said.

The elder smiled. "As long as you go through the process willingly, I promise that no harm will ever befall the Maaka clan again. They will be able to go back to a normal life. The war will end."

"Thank you," Kanon said, still crying.

After that, the elder vampire showed Kanon to a room where she could sleep. It was designed very elegantly. He asked her if she would like to meet the other vampire clans but she refused. She told him that she didn't want anything to do with any of the vampires. When the elder left her alone, she ran to the bed, tears streaming out of her eyes.

_I can't believe I've decided to go through with this,_ she thought to herself. _Mama, Anju, Ren... I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye. I don't want to do this. I'm so scared. But I'm doing a good thing right. I'm doing what I was born to do, right?_

Kanon's short life had all boiled down to this one moment. She had never felt more alone in the world than she did right now. She knew that as soon as her mother found out she wasn't coming home, things wouldn't go well at home. She just hoped that they would be able to forgive her.

"Keitaro, I still love you," she said softly. "I didn't mean it when I said I hate you. Please don't hate me. I wish you were here."

After what seemed like hours of despair and tears, Kanon finally cried herself to sleep. She was far away from the place she called home. She regretted everything in her life. But she hoped that going through with the ceremony would not be one of those things.

* * *

I have to say. Part 6 has been so emotional and I can't say it's going to get much better. I want to put out one last poll. Do you think Kanon is doing the right thing by going through with the ritual? Leave the comments in the review. Thanks.


	57. Embarrassment 56

Embarrassment 56: Anju's Rage

* * *

The moment that night had fallen, the lid off Anju's coffin flew off so hard that it literally hit the ceiling. Boogie sat at the far end of the room, his body shaking as much as it could. When Anju sat up, her eyes were filled with anger. Her bats had been watching everything from Keitaro denying Kanon to Yukio impersonating a vampire just to fool her little niece. Kanon had left to the elder house with the vampire hunter and was probably in danger there. She blamed everything on Keitaro. She had never hated him more than she did now.  
_"Umm... Anju,"_ Boogie said nervously. _"What's going on, Girly?"_

"The hunter lied to us," Anju hissed.

Boogie hadn't seen Anju so mad since Karin had been kidnapped by the Brownlick clan. Even in a doll's body, he could sense a lot of power coming off of the young vampire. It was dangerous for her to be in a state like this.

_"Calm down, Girly,"_ the doll said, trying his best to cool her off. _"Where is Kanon now?"_

"She has gone to the elder house," Anju said "She's going to go through with the ceremony of blood."

_"Then don't worry about that Keitaro boy now,"_ Boogie replied. _"You have to go get your niece."_

"I can't, Boogie," Anju replied. "Little Niece has already made the decision. If I go there, the other vampires won't allow me near her."

_"Who cares about them. Anju, this is your family you're talking about. If you don't stop her, she's going to die."_

"Boogie!" She yelled, running over and hoisting him up by his neck. She couldn't stand anyone saying that Kanon would die. "I know what I'm doing! If you don't shut up, I'll banish your soul again."

She was going after Keitaro. Her bats had been watching him all day. From what she saw, she thought that he had betrayed the Maaka family and was working with Yukio. Anju had warned Keitaro about betraying her family, and to see him do it now after Kanon was so close to him was downright wrong. She wasn't going to give him a second chance this time. She was so angry, she couldn't think straight.

After Keitaro's confusing conversation with Kanon, he didn't know what to do. He kept have random memories flashing through his mind. Almost every one of them was about Kanon Usui. He spent a great deal of the day walking around the entire park just trying to remember what had happened to him before his memory was wiped. Something wasn't right with the bull that Yukio had told him.

After circling the park almost three times, Keitaro came to the conclusion that it was going to be too hard to bring back lost memories. It wasn't an entirely impossible task to do. As a trained vampire hunter, he knew that all the memories were still in his mind. But they were in fragments. One of the first things that he learned is if he were ever to get his memory wiped, he would have to put the pieces back together. But it was a very hard task.

He took a seat on a park bench and immediately noticed that there was a lump in his back pocket that he hadn't noticed before. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small pink cellphone. The cellphone was obviously not his own. He thumbed through the contact list and realized that all the phone numbers were that of the Maaka family. Young Kanon's phone number was at the top of the list.

_"Tell you what. Why don't you keep this one, Keitaro. Then we can keep in contact."_

The voice in his head was that of Kanon's. This phone had been hers but she gave it to him for some reason. What was there between the two of them? Yukio had told him that he had been trying to get close to Kanon for a few weeks now so that he could convince her to give up her blood, but it seemed like there was more to it than that. Some of Keitaro's memory fragments were of a dark house that he suspected to be the Maaka mansion. He was starting to doubt that the Maakas were really the ones that wiped his memory. But if it wasn't them, then who did and why?

Keitaro managed to stay out on the town for the entire day. He was lost in his own little world the entire time. Before he knew it, the sun was setting over Tokyo. He was sure that Yukio would be waiting for him, wondering where the hell he had been all day. But to his surprise, the hotel room was dark when he arrived. It looked like nobody had been here all day. So where was Yukio?

Keitaro had barely taken five steps into the room when he felt like he was being watched. There was a heavy scent of malice in the air, but the blood was not that of a human. Keitaro reached for his pistol. He had a feeling like he should know who the person was. The blinds were drawn tightly shut and the room was extremely dark but he had a feeling that he had been near this presence before.

"Have you come back to finish the job, Maaka?" Keitaro said, waiting for his eyes to adjust as he scanned the room. "I don't know what I did to you, but I don't want to fight."

"You should have thought of that before, Hunter," came a young voice from somewhere in a corner.

Before Keitaro knew what was happening, he got a funny feeling in his gut. With the force of being tackled, Keitaro was suddenly thrown across the room into the wall. The force knocked the wind out of him. He quickly got to his feet only to be knocked down again. This time he could hear the sound of footsteps coming near him. Keitaro pointed the gun in the general direction and pulled the trigger. The muzzle flash lit up the room briefly allowing him to see a small vampire walking in his direction. What made him nervous was the fact that when his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he could see about thirty bats flying around in circles around the little vampire.

"Don't force me to shoot you, Vampire," Keitaro said, pointing the gun at Anju. "What do you want?"

Anju's eyes were glowing rage. Keitaro knew that this little vampire was not going to be afraid of his little pistol. And he also knew she wasn't here to erase his memory either. She was going to kill him.

"We trusted you, Hunter," Anju hissed. "But you were helping your brother all along."

Keitaro was suddenly thrown against the window, shattering it into pieces. The force threw him onto the balcony. It was painful getting back to his feet. But he limped his way back into the room and stared the vampire in the face.

"I never meant any harm to you or your family," he said through heavy breathing. Meanwhile, he slowly reached for a flash bang at his side. "If you were going to kill me, why didn't you do it last night, when you had me knocked out?"

Anju didn't have a clue in the world what Keitaro was talking about. But she was so enraged that she didn't really care what the hunter had to say. Keitaro wasn't about to kill her until he could get some answers from her. But in her state she wasn't going to talk. That's when he flicked the pin out of the flash bang and tossed it in the direction of Anju. The little vampire didn't know of human technology and was not expecting the stick to suddenly explode at her feet. The flash of light was so bright that it made her dizzy, causing her to collapse on the floor.

Flash bang seemed to work extremely well on vampires because it was nothing more than a huge flash of bright light. Vampire eyes couldn't handle the light, and it would usually cause them to knock out temporarily. Anju would awake in a few minutes with the largest headache she had ever had.

The bats around Anju scattered, taking flight out the broken window into the night. Keitaro put his weapon away and picked up the little vampire, bringing her to the bedroom and putting her on it. He didn't want to hurt her. She was the only person who would tell him the truth. If she was the one who took his memories away from him, she could give them back. If she didn't, she could at least tell him what had happened. Anju wasn't an enemy. That much he could get from the memory fragments. Maybe not a friend, but she was not an enemy.

Anju stirred awake only a few minutes later feeling like she had just hit with a baseball bat. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Keitaro had the pistol just a few inches from her head. She glared at him angrily but didn't move.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Vampire," Keitaro said, softly. "As long as you don't try to hit me again. I'm only going to ask you one question. Answer it, and I'll let you up."

Anju didn't respond. She just stared him down with a death glare. Inside she was beating herself up for having a vampire hunter get the better of her. But it wasn't too hard for him. She had been so distracted with anger, that he it clouded logical judgment.

"You weren't the one who wiped me memory, were you?" he asked slowly. "Yukio lied to me, didn't he?"

"I have no clue what you are talking about, Hunter," Anju said in her monotone voice.

"What really happened to me last night, Anju?" he asked.

It took a few seconds but from the look Keitaro had in his eyes, Anju realized that he was being fully honest. Anju didn't fully understand what was going on. But she decided to play along and answer his question. She told him about the train ride back to Tokyo, the conversation he had with Kanon, and how he said he was going to take down his brother. Keitaro knew from the way she spoke that she was telling the truth.

He lowered his gun and sat on the floor next to the closet with his head in his hands. Anju sat up in the bed and looked down at him. She was ready to rip his head off until she saw that he was in a state of shock. Something wasn't right about this.

"You don't remember anything, do you, Hunter?"

Keitaro shook his head. "But I know that you are telling the truth. Yukio must have known that I was coming to kill him. That explains why he is injured in his shoulder. That bastard!"

Suddenly, Keitaro started to remember everything. He remember Yukio holding a knife up to his neck. He remembered the vampire's hand glowing as every memory was taken from him. Yukio had plans to use his brother to get to... Kanon. Keitaro just realized what he had said to Kanon. Kanon... the girl who he loved more than anything in the world. How could he forget something like that.

"Anju, oh my god," he said with wide eyes. "How could I have forgotten. Yukio... he tricked me.. I can't believe I was so dense. Where is he now?"

Anju gave the hunter a look of confusion. She realized that Keitaro had never betrayed her family. Keitaro's older brother had tricked all of them. He was hoping that someone like Anju would come to kill Keitaro.

"He's took Little Niece to the elder house," Anju said softly.

"Your little niece... Kanon?" Yukio jumped to his feet. "I'm such an idiot. Kanon's decided to go through with the ceremony of blood. She going to give her blood to the vampire race."

Keitaro quickly grabbed for his organization uniform and started changing. He could give a care less that Anju in the room. She looked at him confused.

"What are you doing, Hunter?" she asked, still not trusting him fully.

"I'm going to the elder house, Anju. Kanon wanted me to be there for her. I have to go and fix my mistakes before its too late." He looked at the little vampire. "Anju, come with me."

"No," she said softly. "This is something you have to do, Hunter. Kanon already told you how she feels about you. The only reason I'm letting you go is because it would be what she wants."

"Thank you, Anju," he said, bowing before her. "Anju, I know you still don't trust me, and I'm not going to ask for forgiveness. But I do ask that we can come to a truce."

Anju was silent for a moment. A few minutes ago, she wanted nothing more than to kill the young vampire hunter. Now she was at a confusing portion. She could only think of doing one thing. She reached her small hand out of her dress and held it out for Keitaro. At first, he looked at her, confused.

"It's called a handshake, Keitaro," she said, quoting him.

Keitaro smiled, and shook her hand. "Thank you, Anju."

* * *

Three chapters to go, counting the epilogue. It all boils down to this. Kanon and Keitaro.


	58. Embarrassment 57

Embarrassment 57: Ceremony of Blood

* * *

There was something to being awoken in an unfamiliar place. After all the hell that happened the night before, Kanon felt like she was awaking from a bad dream. She was in the state that she expected to wake up in her own bed, safe within the Maaka mansion, only to realize that the ceiling overhead was not her own. That was when the feeling of unhappiness set back within her young soul. She had agreed to giving her blood for the vampire race. Now there was no way she could turn back.

When Kanon opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed that somebody else was in the room with her. A young woman in a maid's outfit was cleaning the room. She looked to Kanon and immediately jumped.

"I'm sorry, Miss," The woman said bowing. "I was told to come and wake you."

"What time is it?" Kanon asked.

"It's almost ten in the evening," the woman replied. "All the vampires are awake right now. I don't mean to be a bother, but I usually don't work here at night."

"Wait, are you a human?" Kanon wondered.

"Yes, Miss. I work here as a maid during the daylight hours."

"And you don't mind being around vampires?"

The lady gave a smile. "Well, to be honest, Miss, when I was first told that I would be working for vampires, I was a little nervous. But then I realized that your no different from a human."

Kanon was surprised. She thought that all humans would want nothing to do with vampires, and would be afraid of them. But here was a human that knew that she was working as a maid at a house for vampires. Even Kanon couldn't say she felt that comfortable around vampires and she was one of them.

"Can I ask you an honest question?" Kanon asked. "If you were in my position, what would you do?"

"You're afraid of giving up your blood because you know what's going to happen to you?" the woman asked. "I don't know much about vampires. But if I were in the position that I would have to make a choice like you, I don't think I'd be able to manage it. You are a lot braver than I could ever be, Miss."

"I'm not that brave," Kanon said sadly.

The maid gave Kanon a warm smile before going over to the desk and pulling out a long black robe from one of the drawers. She came back over to the bed and handed it to Kanon.

"I hope that this fits you," she said. "Master Welsh told me to make sure that you wear this for the ceremony."

Kanon looked at the robes with a few tears in her eyes. She really was going to go through with this. After a few minutes, Kanon changed out of her clothes into the black robes. They fit her perfectly but she felt like she was part of some cult now. The robes felt so stereotypical that they even had the long black hood on it. At least they were extremely comfortable.

"So, they're going to do this ceremony already?" Kanon wondered sadly.

"I guess so. If you don't mind, Miss, I need to get back to work."

"Thank you for talking to me."

"I'm happy to help you, Miss."

It wasn't too much longer before the elder vampire was knocking on her room door. When he entered, Kanon held her breath. She was so nervous that there was noticeable shaking. The elder vampire didn't make any mention of it, but he could definitely see it. There was nothing that he could say that would make anything better.

"Are you ready, Kanon?" he asked.

A single tear came to her eye when she nodded. It was so hard for her right now. According to everyone, this should be the most honorable moment of her life. She did feel a bit proud that she would be helping others like her, but it wasn't enough to make her want to go through with this.

"Umm..." Kanon said softly, as she followed behind the elder vampire down the hall. "By any chance... Did my family come here?"

The elder vampire shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kanon. None of the Maaka clan has come to see you. I haven't seen your boyfriend either."

Kanon blushed slightly. "Keitaro and I aren't going out or anything. He doesn't think of me like that either."

Alexander gave a slight chuckle. "You don't know what he thinks, Kanon. You haven't been able to read his mind. Think about it. He came all the way to the elder house just to try and stop the war. He argued with me for your safety even when he knew it was hopeless. Even though he may act like a closed book, but he really does like you Kanon. All he thinks about is you."

Kanon had never thought about that before. Ever since she had met Keitaro, he had put her life before his own. He was always worried about her safety. To hear that he really did like her seemed to cheer her up just slightly. If only she could tell what Keitaro was thinking when she told him that she loved him. Did he feel the same for her?

As soon as they were outside the ritual chamber, Alexander turned to Kanon and gave her a slight smile. Inside, Kanon could hear the sounds of hundreds of voices. She wondered just how many vampires were inside awaiting her.

"This is it, Pushuke," the elder said. "Are you sure about going through with this?"

Kanon nodded slowly, but her face said something different. It wasn't good enough for the elder. He needed her to be fully for this. That was when Kanon went dead silent.

_Is this really what I want?_ Kanon thought to herself. _I know that I'm not ready to die, but to die for a greater cause. That's a good thing, right? If I don't go through with this, what would I do then? If I do this, my family will be safe. Keitaro will be able to go back to his normal life. Anju won't have to worry about me all night. And the vampire race won't have to die out._

Kanon was finally fully ready for this. She couldn't expect to live forever. Even though she didn't want to die, she wanted to help others. Keitaro had told her that when she was born she was chosen to be the Pushuke. It was because she had the potential to save the dying vampire race. It was because she would have the strength where others had failed. Kanon would be the last Pushuke. There wouldn't be another chance if she denied them. This was Kanon's moment. It wasn't about anybody else. That was when she nodded with confidence.

"I'm ready," she said, smiling.

It may have been the first time that she had genuinely smiled in the past few days. It wasn't a smile of happiness. It was a smile because she knew that she would make a difference in this world. Nothing else mattered.

"Keep those thoughts close to you, Kanon," the elder said, reading her mind. "They will help you through the ritual."

Kanon took a deep breath as the elder vampire opened the doors to the ritual chamber. Kanon kept out any sad thoughts. Anything that would make her want to turn around and run. It was extremely hard when she saw just how many vampires were in the room. Every last pew was filled with vampires from all over the world. There were even more that had to stand against the walls. She didn't even bother counting how many vampires there were. It was easy to say there were easily two hundred vampires, if not more.

The moment the doors opened, every last one of them were dead silent. All eyes in the room had turned in the direction of the Pushuke. It was very unsettling. But Kanon held her head high as she entered, letting all fear fly out the window. Tonight was a pointless night to be scared. Not anymore. Kanon just didn't make eye contact with any of the vampires in the room. It made the stage fright a little more bearable.

When Kanon stepped up on the stage in the center of the room, she noticed a table that was next to her with at least twenty glasses sitting on them. She didn't have to ask to know what they were used for. It gave her a slight shudder. The idea of sitting around while vampires drank her blood wasn't exactly the most magical of ideas.

"My fellow vampire kind," the elder said, sounding more like a preacher than any thing, "tonight is a night for rejoice. For many centuries, our kind has been on the verge of extinction. We have awaited the imminent death of our species, hoping that the gods will spare us. But tonight is different. Tonight will be our chance shine again. Tonight, the Pushuke has decided to give up her life so that we may continue ours."

There was much cheering in the room. Kanon just stood there, looking around the crowd. She was hoping against all hope that maybe Keitaro would have come. She would give anything to see his smile just one last time. But that was not the case. There were no heart warming faces amongst the crowd of vampires. It hurt Kanon just a little. She started to tune out the elder vampire.

_I wonder what Mama and Anju are doing right now? _the young half-blood thought as she scanned the faces in the crowd. _Do they even know that I'm here right now? Aunt Anju always seems to be using her bats to watch over me, but I don't remember seeing the bats yesterday. I just hope they aren't too worried about me. Mama, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before I came. I know it has been hard for you ever since Papa died. But you should be proud of me, right Mama? I'm doing this for the survival of our race._

The elder vampire was talking about Kanon as if she was a goddess. She didn't want to be considered a goddess. She was just a normal half-vampire. But the whole speech got her to thinking about Keitaro. The last true conversation they had together, Keitaro had told Kanon that she wasn't like other half-bloods. She was one of the few half-vampires that accepted what she was. She had a loving family that didn't care if she was a half-blood or not. Keitaro was so sure that Kanon would never become feral, only because of the fact that she would never be cast out by society.

"Now is the time to do what you were born to do, Pushuke," the elder vampire said to her, getting her attention. "Step into the water and accept your fate."

Kanon wondered how long she had zoned out. Long enough that the elder vampire had finished his speech. Now it all came down to this. The moment that Kanon was afraid of. After taking a deep breath, Kanon stepped into the pool of water in the center of the stage. The water was extremely cool, and after getting the word, she sat down, soaking the robes in the water.

The elder vampire squatted down next to her and placed his hand on the back of her head. His other hand he placed on her chest. As he lowered he slowly into the cool water, Kanon could see his hand glowing a pale light. Kanon held back the tears.

It wasn't long before Kanon was fully submerged under the water. She was lying down in the pool with her eyes wired shut. She held her breath and listened to the sound of her heartbeat. At first it was gentle, slightly fast, due to her being afraid. But it wasn't long until the elder's magic started to do it's work. As if somebody had just jolted her heart, she suddenly felt pain surge through her body. She could feel her heart rate increase dramatically as the blood in her body multiplied at an extreme rate.

Kanon started to shake from the pain. If her her head hadn't been submerged under the water she would have been crying from the pain. It became ridiculously hard to hold her breath. But the elder vampire held her under the water. Kanon kept her eyes closed, remembering what he had said to her.

_Just keep the thoughts close to you Kanon,_ she thought to herself through the pain. _Remember why you decided to do this._

The pain surged through Kanon's young body like lightning, but she held herself still. Just as she thought her lungs and heart would burst... all was still. Kanon opened her eyes under the water and saw that the water had gone blood red. She could feel the blood gushing out of her nose, mixing in the cool water, turning it red. She couldn't say that the nose bleeding was that painful. Quite the opposite, it felt like the pain was leaving her body. Her heart rate slowed down and the elder vampire brought her to the surface.

Kanon couldn't explain it. It was as if she didn't have the strength to cry anymore. There was no aches in her body. No spasms of the heart. Even when she was brought to the surface she could tell that her nose was still bleeding. In her entire life, she had never lost such a great deal of blood. She wondered if any blood would be left in her body. But as each second that passed, she felt her body getting tired.

The entire room was hushed as the elder vampire dipped a glass into the bloody water and handed it to the nearest vampire in the room. One by one, each of the vampires drank the blood. The elder vampire was saying something while the glasses were passed around, but Kanon couldn't hear him. She was lying on the side of the pool of water, lost in her own world.

_Is this what it feels like to die?_ Kanon wondered to herself, as she stared up at the ceiling where an elegant design of the heavens was painted. _I really did it. I did a good job didn't I? Now the vampire race can live._

As soon as the bleeding stopped Kanon felt her eyes go heavy. She didn't have the urge to cry, but on the inside, she was screaming. All around her, shadows sat at the pews, listening to the elder vampire speak. She could see their faces anymore. She had lost so much blood that it was only a matter of time before she joined her father. Where she was going, there would be no pain, no heart ache. Her Papa would be waiting there for her with a smile on his face.

_Keitaro..._she thought to herself. _I'm... sorry for everything I said... to you. Please forgive me._

Kanon had no concept of how long she lay in the pool of water, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. But through the darkness that started to shrouded her, she heard a familiar voice. A voice that she had been waiting for.

"Kanon!"

* * *

I'm sorry Kanon. I hope you forgive me for putting you through the pain. I have some bad news for everyone. You are going to have to wait for a week for the last chapter. I'm going to be busy all next week. So think of this as a cliffhanger for the moment. If I get some time off, I'll try and put out the last chapter. But don't count on it.


	59. Embarrassment 58

Embarrassment 58: Till the End

* * *

"I have one request for you, Hunter," Anju said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Bring Little Niece back home. The vampire clans don't care about her. They'll treat her like a queen until they get the blood that they want. Then they will toss her away. If you really our are friend, bring her back to the family that loves her."

"Of course, Anju," Keitaro said, giving her a smile. "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

"I have to keep Big Sister company. When she finds out what has happened, she will be extremely sad. She'll need someone."

Keitaro nodded, showing that he understood. He looked around the room one last time before walking to the elevator.

"Keitaro," Anju said stopping him. He was surprised that she actually called him by his name and not hunter. "Did my niece ever tell you how she felt about you?"

Hours later, while sitting upon the train, Keitaro thought about that. Kanon had told him exactly how she felt about him. She had told him straight to his face that she loved him. But he left her anyways. He felt so stupid. One way or another, he had to make things up with her. Nothing was going to stop him from being next to the girl that he loved.

The moment Keitaro had left the hotel he headed straight for the train station and caught the first bullet train north. One way or another, he was going to be there when Kanon went through with the ceremony. It was the least he could do for her. It was what the one thing that Kanon had requested from him. He knew that there may be some problems now that he was dressed in his Cross Organization uniform, but he didn't care. Kanon needed to see him for who he really was, not the person he had been hiding behind.

But as the train sped down the tracks, Keitaro noticed a problem with his own body. Ever since he had his little fight with Anju, he had been having an increasingly worse headache. The fangs in his mouth were slightly longer than normal as well. But it wasn't that time. Keitaro still had a week or two before he needed to feed, so why was he experiencing the problems now? He had a feeling that it had something to do with being around Anju when all she wanted to do was kill him. She must have triggered his senses.

_I can't deal with this now,_ Keitaro thought, drawing the blinds in his cabin because the sun was hurting his eyes. _Kanon comes first. I can deal with this later._

Another thing that had been bothering Keitaro was his brother. Yukio was the one who escorted Kanon to the elder house. What was Yukio planning? He hated vampires more than anything else in the world. So why would he help Kanon? What was in it for him? Keitaro had failed at killing his brother when he had the chance last time. He knew his brother well enough to know that Yukio probably had a dirty trick up his sleeve. He would have to be on his toes this time. Yukio still had to die.

The train didn't finally arrive at the station until almost ten at night. If Keitaro knew the vampire race well enough, he knew they would waste no time before starting the ceremony. They may be preparing to start this very moment. Keitaro was about to head off towards the elder house when he heard a familiar voice.

"Fancy seeing you here, Little Brother," Yukio's voice said from behind him. Keitaro wheeled around to see Yukio sitting on the bench at the station platform. He had that all too common smile on his face. He pulled out his little tracking beacon. "Did you expect to come all the way out here without me knowing about it?"

Keitaro reached for the pistol in his coat, but realized there was no way he could pull it out. Not with all the people standing around. Yukio had planned for this. As long as he was around other people he was safe. The worst part was that there was a very strong smell coming from Yukio's blood that made Keitaro's eyes narrow. He had always had problems around his brother, but it never was this bad.

"I really was planning on you to be killed by the Maaka clan," Yukio said, slightly disappointed. "Instead, you get your memories back. What a shame."

"How could you tell?" Keitaro wondered in amazement.

"Simple," Yukio said smiling. "The fact that you knew the way here gives it away. Now, the question is, did you come here to finish your failed job of killing your big mean brother? Or did you come to beg forgiveness from your sweet little half-demon filth of a girlfriend."

"Don't you dare talk about Kanon as if your better than her," Keitaro barked.

Yukio laughed. "My little brother has found love. She is going to die, you know. Those vampires are about to start the ceremony in a little over an hour. She will die. But then again, so are you. So maybe you can be with her in hell."

"Well then what are we waiting around here for, Brother?" Keitaro hissed. "Let's finish this once and for all."

"I was hoping that you'd never ask," Yukio said, standing up. He walked up to close to his brother, until the scent on him was almost unbearable for Keitaro. The teen did notice that Yukio put his left hand in his pocket, probably to reach for his blade to stick Keitaro when he was looking. "Little Brother, your eyes are turning red. Is it really that time again? I bet I just make your mind crazy, don't I?"

"Maybe I should just bite you, and get it out of my system," Keitaro muttered back.

Keitaro and Yukio waited around for the train to leave the station and everyone to make their way off into the night. With each second that passed, Keitaro knew that Kanon was getting a second closer to going through the ceremony. But he didn't go anywhere near the elder house. Instead Yukio lead him off in the complete opposite direction. There was an old abandoned factory near the elder barrier. It was on its last legs and was on the verge of being torn down. Yukio brought his brother to this factory, which was exactly the kind of stereotypical place that Keitaro figured his brother would hide out at.

The two brothers walked side by side through the gate surrounding the building then into the factory, where nobody would see them. Keitaro had his finger on the trigger of his gun, just waiting till the right moment. Yukio just entered the building calmly, as if nothing was going to happen in just a few moments. He still had his left hand in his pocket. But Keitaro was on his toes. He wasn't about to let his brother get the upper hand on him.

"So, Little Brother," Yukio said, stopping as soon as they had entered the factory, "why haven't you asked me what I'm doing all the way up here?"

"Maybe because I couldn't give a crap what stupid plans you had, Big Brother," Keitaro said. Without another word, he pulled out his pistol and pointed it straight at Yukio's forehead. "I've been waiting to do this for a while."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Keitaro," Yukio said smiling. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, showing Keitaro exactly what he had been holding on to. It wasn't a knife like Keitaro thought it was. In fact, it was a detonation switch, and his thumb was holding down the switch. The same detonation switch that Keitaro had found in the suitcase with the C4. "Unless you would like me to blow up your little girlfriend, that is. What's wrong, Little Bro? Did you really expect it to be this easy."

Keitaro lowered his weapon. He had finally realized exactly what his brother had been up to. "So this was your big plan, huh? Blow up the elder house. That's why you tricked Kanon into getting you past the vampire barrier? So you could set explosives up around the building?"

"And it's all thanks to you," Yukio said laughing. "You convinced that little demon to give up her blood. All I had to do was tell all the vampires and they all came running to the elder house. Right now, those demons are all gathered up in one spot. I let go of this trigger, and say goodbye to the last hope for your stupid race."

Yukio had finally played his last card. All of this. He was waiting for a moment when he could hit all the vampires at once. Keitaro was just too blind to see it before.

"What do you want from me, Yukio?" Keitaro asked through gritted teeth.

"You? Why the hell would I want anything more from you, Keitaro?" Yukio asked. "You have been so much of a help so far. There is nothing that you could possibly give me now."

"Then why are you still holding that trigger?" Keitaro asked. He took a step closer to his brother. "You need leverage. Because you know that I could kill you if I had the chance. You know what I figured out?"

Without warning, Keitaro grabbed Yukio's hand that was holding the trigger ripped it out of his grip. Keitaro tossed the trigger to the floor, surprising his brother. It caught Yukio off guard that he would actually make him release the button. That was when Keitaro saw an opening. He stuck the muzzle of his pistol right into his brother's chest and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang that echoed throughout the factory, as Keitaro's bullet flew out of the barrel and into the target. Yukio was silent as he dropped to his knees. He didn't even know how to react.

"You idiot," Yukio said softly. "Was I really worth killing all the vampires?"

"You're not the only one who can act, Yukio," Keitaro said, putting away his pistol. "The vampires are very much safe. You should have done your homework on the elder barrier. Then you would have found out that nothing can pass through it, including radio waves. It prevents humans from using tracking devices to get through. You were never told about the elder house, so you couldn't have known about the barriers properties."

Who would have thought, Yukio had planned out everything. Up until this point, everything had worked out for him. But he was still only human and would make mistakes. His whole plan was a failure and now Keitaro had him right where he wanted him.

"I always knew it would be your ass that would kill me, Keitaro," Yukio hissed through gasps of air, covering his wound. The blood that was pouring from his wound was irritating Keitaro's senses. "It's only fitting. You killed my mother after all."

"I never knew mom," Keitaro said, turning his back on Yukio. He was trying to hold back the smell. "But I'm sorry, Yukio."

"Save it," he replied. "I don't care anymore. Go to your stupid half-demon brat. You know just as well as I do that it won't be long before your hunted down for going feral. I can already see it in your eyes. It won't be long."

Keitaro clenched his fists. "You have no clue what will happen to me, Brother."

Yukio lasts breaths were in laughter as he fell on his back. He had lost way too much blood. Keitaro didn't look back at his brother. There was no need to. For so many years, he had feared his older brother. But even though he wished for his brother to die, he could never bring himself to do it. Yukio finally got what he deserved. Nothing else mattered.

"Sleep well, Yukio Cross," Keitaro said before leaving the factory.

There was only one thing that mattered now. Keitaro took off running in the direction of the elder house. It wouldn't be long before Kanon gave her blood, if she hadn't already. Keitaro had made a promise to Kanon that he would be right by her side. He was going to stick by that promise.

It wasn't long before the elder house came into sight. Thankfully it was still there. It was just a shot of luck that he had been right about radio signals not being able to travel through the barrier. But it did surprise Keitaro that he was actually able to pass through the barrier with the uniform he had on. The vampires must have already started the ceremony. They wouldn't bother with watching the barrier if that was the case.

The vampire hunter didn't even bother to knock on the door. It didn't matter though. Nobody was guarding the door. But down the hallway, he could hear the sounds of many vampires. Keitaro didn't waste any time.

_Please Kanon,_ he thought as he hurried to the chamber, _stay strong for me. I know you can._

Keitaro paused at the door, listening to what was going on inside. The ceremony had already started and judging by what was happening, he may have already been too late. The young hunter didn't wait another second. He pushed the large wooden door open and stepped into the sacrificial chamber. That was when he saw Kanon, lying in a pool of blood in the center of the room.

"Kanon!" Keitaro yelled, running up to the young half-vampire.

The moment that Keitaro yelled her name, all the vampires in the room turned and looked at him. The ones nearest him looked as if they might attack him. Keitaro didn't care. Seeing Kanon in this state, he had one thing in mind. He ran right up onto the stage, kneeling down before the girl and holding her head in his arms. She was still breathing, but it was very shallow.

"A vampire hunter, here," one of the vampires said getting to his feet.

Keitaro was not about to get into another fight. He immediately pulled out his pistol. "I swear to god, if any of you come near me, I'll shoot you!"

That was when Kanon opened up a beady eye. She looked up at the face of the boy holding her and smiled weakly. "Kei- ta- ro-... you... came."

Keitaro looked down at her and smiled. "Of course I did. I promised I would be here, didn't I?"

Kanon was shaking and her core temperature was extremely low. It scared Keitaro so much that he might lose her at any second.

"I... did... a good... job... right?" Kanon said, taking deep breaths in between each word. "Now... every- thing... will be... okay?"

Keitaro was on the verge of breaking into tears. "You did amazing, Kanon. I'm so sorry for everything."

Kanon brought her trembling hand up and brushed it against Keitaro's cheek. It was so cold. Keitaro almost melted.

"I'm going to miss you..." she said.

"Don't say that, Kanon," the boy replied, finally breaking into tears. "You're going to be alright. Don't worry, I'll protect you forever... because... because I love you, Kanon Usui."

Kanon may have been a slight bit delusional from the loss of blood, but she heard that. It may just have been the happiest moment of her life. Keitaro meant it from the bottom of his heart and there was no other way he could say it. He held the girl in his arms until the very last moment. Till her heart stopped beating. Keitaro couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"Kanon... Kanon, I'm sorry for everything," he said softly. "I just wanted you to have a happy life. You can't leave me Kanon. Please... I'm sorry."

Keitaro was not a man for emotions. He had spent his entire life in the shadows. But then came along a girl who changed his entire life. That girl was Kanon Usui. She was the girl that Keitaro vowed he would protect till his death. It was the girl... that he loved.

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Like I said, I was very busy this week. I'm sorry if this chapter is rushed a bit. This was my only day to work on it and I felt pressured to put it out. But I read over it about three times before posting and I think it couldn't be told any better. All that's left is the epilogue. So don't stop reading yet. I still would like to see the reviews.


	60. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

"I'm sorry that it had to come down to this," a vampire hunter said softly, kneeling down to put flowers on a grave. He had been in the graveyard for the past hour, paying his respects. "I just hope that you will be able to forgive me for everything."

"I didn't expect you to come here, Keitaro" a voice said from behind the boy. Keitaro glanced over his shoulder to see his father come up. "Why would you be here?"

"I'm paying my last respects for the dead," Keitaro said softly. "What are you doing here, Father?"

Hotaru smiled softly. "Yukio may have hated me, but he was still my son. Besides, I've been looking for you for the past week, Keitaro."

"Still wanting to kill your only son?" Keitaro asked standing up.

"On the contrary, I wanted to ask you to come back to the organization. We all wanted to thank you for putting a stop to this senseless vampire war..."

"You don't even know what you're talking about, Father!" Keitaro yelled, turning to face his father with anger in his eyes. "Instead of thanking me, you should be thanking Kanon Usui. She's the one who prevented this war, not me! All you cared about was killing her! She has done so much in so little time and you don't even care about her!"

Hotaru took a step back, surprised that Keitaro was talking to him in such a tone. But he could sense a lot of emotion in Keitaro. It wasn't like his son to be like this. Something had changed and even Hotaru noticed it.

"I'm sorry, Son," Hotaru said. "Is there any way to make it up to you?"

"You could start by apologizing to the Maaka family. Your company has put them through so much hell, it's the least you could do."

"I'm sure I could work things out," Hotaru said, "but it appears that you are the only person left who knows where the Maaka clan lives."

"And it's going to stay that way," Keitaro confirmed. "Just give them the peace they want."

"I do have to wonder, what happened back there with Kanon at the elder house? Why are you the only one who still remembers the Maaka clan?"

Keitaro was silent as he stared down at the grave stone. "Because I kept my promise. I brought Kanon back to her family where she belongs. I haven't seen them in a week. They didn't wipe my memory like everyone else, but the barrier was sealed from me."

"It sounds like they trust you, Son," Hotaru said, proud of his son. "You must have done a lot for them."

"I didn't do enough," Keitaro said softly, thinking of Kanon. "I have to go."

Keitaro grabbed his things and started to walk off. Hotaru stopped him. "Where are you planning to go now, Son? Are you going to go back into hiding?"

"No point," Keitaro said. "I've got a very important date today, Father. I'll be back tomorrow. We'll talk again then."

Keitaro wasn't in the slightest bit surprised that Hotaru didn't hate him for killing Yukio. At least Keitaro did the honors of giving Yukio a proper burial and giving him the respects he deserved. But the young hunter didn't have any sorrow for what he did to Yukio. And as far as Hotaru was concerned, he never cared about any of his children. It was obvious that he never cared about Yukio and this just made things more noticeable.

As soon as Keitaro was out of sight from his father, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his little pink cellphone. It had been a week since Keitaro had held Kanon in his arms and told the dying girl how he felt about her. The memory still brought tears to Keitaro's eyes when he thought about that. But this cellphone was the only memory he had left of Kanon. That was why he still kept the cellphone.

Earlier today, Keitaro had gotten a phone call from none other than Anju. He was so surprised that she was actually calling him. All she said that it was time. Ever since that quick phone call, Keitaro had been waiting with very little patience for the sun to go down. Now it was slowly getting closer to dusk. The vampire hunter made his way to the Maaka mansion.

The Maakas had been silent ever since the ceremony of blood. They hardly were able to say thank you to Keitaro before putting up the barrier around their house. He couldn't blame them seeing as what happened to Karin's daughter. He knew hard it had to be for little Anju to tell the entire family what was happening. But now, the barrier had been lifted and Keitaro was finally going back.

As Keitaro crossed over the Maaka barrier, he started to think back to that night a week ago. He had sat in the elder house with hundreds of vampires around him, only caring about one thing. In his arms, he held the body of the only girl that made Keitaro happy to live. This was the first time that Keitaro could ever remember crying. He knew that this day would come, he just never wanted it to. Now that it did, he couldn't hold back the tears.

"Let's go home," Keitaro whispered in the young girls ears, even though she could no longer hear him.

Even though Kanon was drenched in her own blood, the vampire hunter picked her up and carried her. Even though her heart had stopped beating, Keitaro held her with so much delicacy. He was in a slight state of delirium, refusing to believe that she was gone. But when he tried to leave the room with her body, the elder vampire stepped in front of the door.

"Move out of the way," Keitaro said, not even looking him in the eyes.

"What do you think your doing, Keitaro?" the elder asked. "You break in during such an event then try to walk out with the Pushuke?"

"You got what you what you wanted," Keitaro said softly. "Let me take the girl."

"I can't let you do that. The Pushuke is going to be buried with honors."

"Don't you dare act like you care about Kanon," he said angrily. "You never cared about her. None of you did. All she was to you was a carrier for the blood that you cared so much for. She has a family who actually cares about her. Now I'm going to take her to her family, and there is nothing you can say that will stop me."

"Don't try starting fights. It's not wise."

"I'm not the one starting fights here, Elder," he snapped back. "Get out of my way and you can return to your stupid ceremony of blood."

The elder vampire didn't move at first, and it really got on Keitaro's nerves. If he hadn't been holding Kanon in his arms he would pull out a gun and forced his way out. There were many vampires close by staring at him as if he were their greatest enemy. He didn't care. Either he was leaving with Kanon or he wasn't leaving at all.

"I know what you are thinking, Keitaro," the elder said. He stepped towards the vampire hunter and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Nothing will stop you."

"I'd die for her," Keitaro said.

"Then take her to her family and give them the message that they will no longer be targeted by the vampire clans as long as they come back to the meetings."  
With that, the elder vampire walked up to the center stage, allowing Keitaro to leave with Kanon in his arms. The boy didn't stick around and left the building quickly. He was slightly surprised that the vampires were letting him go so easily. But they weren't there to start fights. Not in such a place. But he could sense a lot of malice within the blood of the vampires.

It angered him so much to think that the vampires had so little care for Kanon. Anju had been right. They would treat her like a queen up until the moment that she gave them the blood that they wanted. Then they tossed her aside. Keitaro knew that she wasn't going to be buried with honors. The vampire race was not the kind that would do things like that.

"You did a good thing though, Kanon," Keitaro said as he left the elder house. "Your family would be proud of you."  
As soon as Keitaro got far enough from the elder house he sat down at tree at the edge of the forest. It had been some very nerve-racking minutes walking in silence with the body of Kanon. He was on the verge of tears again. In his heart, he had hoped that Kanon would awaken. But it had been almost five minutes since Kanon's heart had ceased its beating and Keitaro had to anticipate the worst. In his mind he felt like it was all his fault.

_Kanon,_ Keitaro though, _if I would have never met you, you would still be alive. You'd be at home right now with your mother and father. None of this would have happened._

With much struggle, Keitaro pulled out his cellphone and sent a text message to Anju, telling her that he had Kanon with him and he was on his way back home now. He didn't have the ability to tell the girl that her niece was no longer alive. She probably already knew anyways.

Once Keitaro was done, he put his phone back into his pocket and picked Kanon back up, holding her like a sleeping child. Her head was resting on his shoulder and he had his hand on her soft back. She was still as beautiful as the day he first saw her. It made him almost cry again.

"Kanon," he said, talking to her again, hoping that she could hear her, "I always knew that you were special. Not just because you were the Pushuke, but because you were able to stay strong. There is nobody else out there that is brave enough to do what you just did back at the elder house. So you can't be dead, Kanon. Because if there is a god out there, he would see just how special you are, and save you."

Keitaro hated the world at this moment. He hated the vampires for taking Kanon's blood for selfish reasons. He hated his brother for playing him like a doll for so long. He hated Cross Organization for forcing him to go after the Maaka family. But most of all, he hated himself for never doing anything about it. He was so angry, that even the headache from his half-vampire self, didn't bother him in the slightest.

_Badump_

Keitaro stopped walking for a moment. He was about to cross through the elder barrier when he felt it. At first he thought that maybe he had imagined it. He had been holding Kanon's body so close to him that he could have sworn that he felt movement within the young girl.

_Badump_

There it was again. Keitaro was sure he felt it this time. As week as it had been, Keitaro half-vampire ears could pick up a faint heartbeat within Kanon's body. His eyes went wide with shock. Kanon wasn't dead yet. By the third heartbeat he knew for sure that her heart was beating. It was then when he realized why.

_I have always been a pain for Kanon,_ Keitaro thought as he sat down with Kanon. _With all the anger built up in me over the years, I have always been a pain for young Kanon's blood. Her heart is reacting to my blood. All my anger. Could it be that her blood is increasing._

_Badump_

This time the heartbeat was slightly stronger. It was still no more than a murmur. But there was no doubt that her blood was increasing. What blood was left that is. With her body being so close to his, she must have gotten a good scent of his blood. Over the past weeks, his anger had caused her so much pain. Now, it was trying to save her.

But even with her body reacting to his anger, it would never be enough. Keitaro knew all too well this was true. He knew exactly what he would have to do. Rolling up the sleeve of his jacket he looked down to Kanon.

_You have sacrificed so much to save the dying vampire race, _he thought. _If there is a way to bring you back, I'm willing to make the sacrifice for you, Kanon. My blood has always been such a bother to you. But if I gave you my blood, maybe...just maybe._

With that thought, Keitaro reached into his jacket and pulled out a pocket knife. He didn't think about anything else before bringing the knife to his arm and cutting himself. The cut wasn't enough to do any permanent damage, but it did start bleeding a lot. Keitaro didn't know if it would work, but he held his bleeding arm to the mouth of the young half-vampire.

"Kanon, you are special," he said softly. "You aren't like the other Pushukes. As long as you drink blood, you'll be fine. If it will save you, take my blood. Please."

Keitaro used his free hand to elevate Kanon's little head as he held his bleeding arm to her mouth. He knew that his warm blood was draining down her throat. Deep within her body, he could hear her heart beating once every couple of seconds. But he couldn't tell if it was going to be enough. After a few moments of silence he started to tear up. It wasn't working.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt two fangs pierce his skin, making him almost jump. Kanon had just sunk both of her teeth deep into his arm at the spot where he was bleeding. Keitaro could feel Kanon drinking his blood. It was extremely painful but Keitaro didn't care. He held Kanon close to him and a single tear dripped from his eye.

"Kanon," he said softly. "I love you."

Keitaro didn't know if there was a god out there for vampires. But if there was, then he or she really did think Kanon was special enough. Keitaro knew that Kanon couldn't leave him. It made him so happy that she was still with him. It was a miracle in all ways. With each second that passed, and the more blood she drank, Keitaro could hear her heart beating a bit harder and more rapid. He could even feel her steady breaths.

The next thing that the hunter knew, he could feel the venom attacking his nerves. Even a person as strong as himself could not fight back the poison. Keitaro passed out with the girl he loved in his arms. He never knew if Kanon ever truly came back. But as he fell asleep, he remembered thinking that what he had done was finally something right in his short life. He prayed to whatever gods there were, hoping that Kanon would be safe for him.

When Keitaro had awoken, he was in the hotel room with nothing more than a note beside him. He had been passed out for almost a day and the sun was shining in the room. At first he wondered if everything was a dream until he saw the note that Anju had left for him. It told him that she found Keitaro and Kanon at the edge of the vampire barrier. She had brought Keitaro back to the hotel then left with Kanon.

_I don't know how, but Little Niece is still alive,_ the note said. _Her heart is beating very softly but she may just survive. I'm taking her home to the rest of the family. Don't try coming after her. Our barrier won't be open to you. Just be happy that we let you have your memory. Thank you for everything._

The note may not have been the happiest or the best thing, but hearing that Kanon's heart was beating again made the young vampire hunter smile. It had been a week since that note, and Keitaro thought that this may be the last time he ever saw Kanon. Every night, he walked around Tokyo, hoping that he would see Kanon out. But he never did. It might have been for the best, though. If Kanon managed to survive, he wanted her to be happy. That meant that he would keep his distance from her for her sake.

But when Keitaro got the call from Anju saying that it was time to return to the barrier, he felt his heart skip a beat. He knew what this meant. As he neared the Maaka mansion after over a week of being away, he looked down at the scar on his arm from the two fang marks that Kanon had left him with. Kanon was a special girl. He knew deep down, that she would be alright.

The door opened slowly after Keitaro's second knock. Anju was the one who answered. When he saw her, he held his breath. She looked him over with a slight smile in her eyes.

"You've changed, Hunter," Anju said in a sly tone. "She's woke up just a few hours ago and has been waiting to see you ever since. She's in her room right now."

"She's okay then?" Keitaro asked softly.

Anju nodded slightly. "Go ask her yourself."

Anju stepped out of the vampire hunter's way, allowing him to enter the house. Keitaro was hesitant at first. He was slow as he walked into the dark house and went up the stairs to the room that he knew was hers. The door was already opened by a crack. The light was on in the room. Taking a deep breath, Keitaro opened the door to the room.

There she was, as beautiful as ever, sitting under the covers in her bed. The color had returned to the young girls face and Keitaro almost lost all bearing when he saw her. When she saw him at the door, tears came to her eyes as she smiled.

"Keitaro," was all she said, smiling.

Keitaro didn't wait any longer and ran up to the girl, hugging her, allowing the tears stream from his eyes. He couldn't believe that she was actually still alive. If this was a dream, he never wanted to awaken from it. But this was reality. A reality that he never wanted to leave from.

"Kanon," he said through the tears, "I'm sorry for everything."

Kanon responded by doing something that he did not expect. She brought herself closer to Keitaro and kissed him. At first he was surprised, but then he closed his eyes and returned the kiss. His heart was still in his chest as he kissed the girl he loved ever so passionately.

"I love you, Keitaro," Kanon said, breaking the kiss.

"I love you, too, Kanon Usui," Keitaro said, before kissing her again.

Ever since Keitaro had known Kanon, he didn't think that he was the right person for her. With his horrible past, he wondered if this was the way things should be. But as he kissed this girl for a second time, he realize the truth. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he wanted to be with this girl for the rest of his life, protecting her.

When they broke the kiss, Keitaro looked deeply into the eyes of the girl. He reached up and wiped the tears out of her red eyes. She was still as beautiful as the first day he saw her.

"You know," Keitaro said softly, "I still ain't going to let you call me Kei."

Kanon laughed weakly before hugging the boy she loved ever so tightly.

* * *

Thank you for everyone who read this story. I've never been so certain about something like I am of this story. Thank you to everyone for helping me with ideas and thanks to Kagesaki. I just hope that he would think this story did Karin justice. Ever since I read the ending of Chibi Vampire, I wanted to continue the story. If you managed to read all of this please please please review. I would really appreciate it. It took a lot of time and work to do this story so I'd like a review.


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